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LI  B  R.AR.Y 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 
OF    ILLINOIS 


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^y*:- 


BRIKF  HISTORY 


OF    THE 


Charitable  Institutions 


OF    THE 


STATE  OF  ILLINOIS 


1893. 


JOHN  MORRIS  COMPANY,  PRINTERS, 

118  AND  120  MONROE  STREET, 
CHICAGO. 


1.2 


PREFACE. 


To  let  the  world  know  what  a  magnificent  work  the  State  of  Illinois 
has  done  and  is  doing  for  her  unfortunate  people,  the  Blind,  the  Deaf 
and  Dumb,  the  Feeble  Minded  Children,  the  Insane,  her  Disabled  Sol- 
diers, and  the  Orphans  of  her  Soldiers,  the  Committee  on  State  Charitable 
Institutions  of  the  Illinois  Board  of  World's  Fair  Commissioners  had 
prepared  and  published  for  gratuitous  distribution  a  brief  history  of  each 
of  the  State  Charitable  Institutions.  These  histories  were  prepared  by 
the  Superintendents  of  the  several  Institutions,  and  may  therefore  be 
considered  as  authentic  and  reliable.  They  have  been  given  to  all  visitors 
to  the  exhibits  of  these  Institutions  who  desired  to  read  them.  To  put 
these  histories  in  a  more  convenient  and  more  permanent  form,  the  Com- 
mittee on  State  Charitable  Institutions  ordered  that  200  copies  of  these 
histories  be  bound  in  one  volume,  each  volume  containing  one  copy  of 
each  of  these  histories,  for  distribution  to  the  State  and  County  offices 
>  and  to  the  State  Institutions,  Charitable  and  Educational,  and  this  vol  - 
ume  is  the  result  of  that  order. 

JAMES  M.  WASHBURN,  Chairman.   }   Committee  on 

A.  B.   HOSTETTER.  State 

B.  F.    WYMAN. 

-,T    _.     0  Charitable 

W.   D.   STRYKER. 


J.   W.   JUDY.  Institutions. 


'^ 

<O 

r-t 


O~ 


HISTORY 


EDUCATION  OF  THE  DEAF  AND  DUMB 


JACKSONVILLE,  ILL 


1838-1893. 


Presented  by  the  ILLINOIS  BOARD  OF  WORLD'S 
FAIR  COMMISSIONERS. 


JOHN  MORRIS  COMPANY,  PRINTERS, 

118  AND  120  MONROE  STREET, 

CHICAGO. 


HISTORY 

OF    THE 

ILLINOIS  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  EDUCATION  OF  THE 
DEAF  AND  DUMB. 


During  the  year  1838  Hon.  Orville  H.  Browning,  a  resident  of 
Quincy,  111.,  while  making  a  journey  by  steamboat  on  the  Missis- 
sippi river,  met  an  educated  deaf-mute  gentleman  who  interested 
him  very  much  not  only  in  himself  but  in  the  subject  of  deaf-mute 
education.  Mr.  Browning,  a  man  of  legal  talent,  was  abreast  of  the 
times  in  all  public  educational  and  humane  enterprises.  Indeed  he 
was  rather  ahead  of  his  times  in  such  causes.  The  interest  once 
aroused  in  his  mind  on  this  subject  did  not  abate.  He  at  once 
entered  into  correspondence  with  Rev.  J.  A.  Jacobs,  Principal  of 
the  Kentucky  Institution  for  the  Education  of  the  Deaf  and  Dumb, 
asking  his  advice  as  to  the  best  method  of  procedure  to  establish  an 
institution  in  Illinois.  Mr.  Browning,  being  a  man  whom  his  fellow 
citizens  delighted  to  honor  (he  was  often  in  the  public  service  in 
various  capacities  as  Congressman,  U.  S.  Senator  and  member  of 
President  Lincoln's  Cabinet),  was  a  member  of  the  Senate  of  the 
State  of  Illinois  at  the  session  of  the  General  Assembly  which  con- 
vened at  the  capital  (Vandalia)  in  December,  1838.  He  prepared 
and  presented  at  that  session  a  bill  which  became  the  charter  of 
what  is  now  known  as  the  Illinois  Institution  for  the  Education  of 
the  Deaf  and  Dumb,  though  it  was  at  first  styled  an  asylum,  as  was 
common  in  those  days.  Mr.  Browning's  bill  very  clearly  shows 
that  he  had  the  correct  estimate  of  the  character  of  such  an  insti- 
tution as  purely  educational;  and  that  the  deaf-mute  from  being  an 
infant  in  law,  might,  by  educational  instrumentalities,  be  advanced 
to  the  position  of  honorable  and  responsible  manhood.  That  one 
having  this  just  and  proper  conception  should  consent  to  style  the 
proposed  corporation  an  asylum  seems  strange.  But  this  may  be  in 
a  measure  explained  by  the  consideration  that  in  practical  affairs  it 
is  often  necessary  to  defer  to  the  unintelligent  views  that  prevail  in 
society.  There  has  always  been  and  still  remains  a  disposition  to 


(5 

regard  institutions  for  the  deaf  as  asylums.  We  can  understand 
why  this  should  be  so  in  case  of  the  earliest  institutions  for  them, 
as  previously  they  were  held  as  little  better  than  human  brutes  on 
whom  the  contempt  and  jeers  of  conrse  minds  were  too  frequently 
visited,  or  as  infants  incapable  of  rational  acts,  so  that  they  did, 
indeed,  require  an  asylum  for  their  better  protection,  and  to  withhold 
them  from  the  perpetration  of  unreasonable  conduct  that  their  ignor- 
ance often  impelled  them  to.  An  uneducated  adult  deaf-mute  is  at 
once  a  pitiable  and  a  dangerous  character.  Absolute  solitude  is  one 
of  the  most  dreadful  conditions  to  which  one  can  be  subjected.  A 
poet  has  sung 

Oh  solitude,  where  are  the  charms 
That  sages  have  seen  in  thy  face? 
Better  dwell  in  the  midst  of  alarms 
Than  reign  in  this  horrible  place. 

Alexander  Selkirk  on  the  island  of  Juan  Fernandez  was  scarcely 
more  solitary  than  is  an  uneducated  deaf  person.  The  consequence 
is  that  his  ceaseless,  unintelligent  introspection  with  the  many 
taunts  he  receives,  in  time  brings  him  to  the  verge  of  lunacy,  feroc- 
ity or  brutishuess.  As  children  they  are  as  lovely  and  interesting 
as  any  others,  but  as  adults  they  have  only  the  infant  mind,  with 
manly  passions  and  brute  strength.  Were  there  no  schools  for 
their  education,  the  asylum  for  their  protection  and  restraint  would, 
indeed,  be  of  the  first  importance.  This  was  always  obvious  even 
to  the  careless  thinker.  Hence  it  is  easy  to  perceive  that  when  the 
first  movements  were  proposed  for  their  amelioration,  the  asylum 
idea  should  be  first  and  uppermost  in  the  public  mind.  Though 
scarcely  more  than  twenty  years  had  elapsed  since  the  first  efforts  to 
instruct  the  deaf  and  dumb  had  been  made  in  America,  yet  Mr. 
Browning  in  his  bill  showed  a  conception  of  the  nature  of  the  work 
to  be  done  quite  in  advance  of  the  popular  idea.  Section  third  of 
his  bill  says:  ';The  object  of  said  corporation  shall  be  to  promote 
by  all  proper  and  possible  means,  the  intellectual,  moral  and  phys- 
ical culture  of  that  unfortunate  portion  of  the  community,  who,  by 
the  mysterious  dispensation  of  Providence,  have  been  born,  or  by 
disease  become  deaf,  and,  of  course,  dumb;  and  by  a  judicious  and 
well  adopted  course  of  education,  to  reclaim  them  from  their  lonely 
and  cheerless  condition,  restore  them  to  the  rank  of  their  species, 
and  fit  them  for  the  discharge  of  the  social  and  domestic  duties  of 
life." 


Mr.  Browning's  bill  passed  the  Senate  without  a  dissenting  vote, 
and  passed  the  House  of  Representatives  by  a  large  majority  and 
was  approved  by  Governor  Thomas  Carlin,  February  23,  1839. 
For  the  support  of  the  institution  the  bill  appropriated  one-quarter 
per  cent,  of  the  interest  upon  the  whole  amount  of  the  school,  col- 
lege and  seminary  fund;  thus  most  intimately  connecting  the  new 
institution  with  the  school  system  of  the  State,  since  its  maintenance 
came  from  the  same  funds  from  which  the  public  schools  derived 
theirs.  The  theory  was  that  the  deaf-mute  children  of  the  State 
had  as  good  a  right  to  a  portion  of  school  funds  as  those  who  were 
more  favored.  Certainly  a  most  enlightened  view. 

In  securing  the  passage  of  this  bill  Judge  Browning  was 
promptly  assisted  by  the  Senators  and  Representatives  from  Mor- 
gan county,  among  whom  were  Hon.  William  Thomas,  Hon.  New- 
toii  Cloud,  and  Gen.  John  J.  Hardin.  Gen.  Hardin  died  on  the 
battle-field  of  Buena  Vista.  Messrs.  Thomas  and  Cloud  were  fast 
friends  of  the  institution  till  far  advanced  in  life.  Never  has  a 
nobler  type  of  honesty  and  magnanimity  been  in  public  life  than  Rev. 
Newton  Cloud.  When  very  far  advanced  in  life  as  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Representatives,  a  patriarch  among  the  younger  members, 
who  delighted  to  honor  him,  he  still  gave  to  the  institution  his  best 
service,  and  to  his  dying  day  delighted  to  visit  it  and  rejoice  in  its 
growth  and  success. 

The  first  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Institution  named  in  the  act 
of  incorporate  >u  comprises  a  galaxy  of  brilliant  names  in  the  history 
of  Illinois.  Thomas  Carlin,  Thomas  Cole,  Joseph  Duncan,  each  at 
different  times  governors  of  the  State ;  Samuel  D.  Lockwood,  Sam- 
uel H.  Treat,  Cyrus  Walker,  eminent  jurists  and  judges  of  the  Su- 
preme Court;  William  Thomas,  repeatedly  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature, and  many  years  a  member  of  the  Board;  Julian  M.  Sturte- 
vant,  President  of  Illinois  College,  and  one  of  the  foremost  educators 
of  the  State;  Otway  Wilkinson,  Dennis  Rockwell,  George  M. 
Chambers,  and  Matthew  Stacy,  men  who  to  the  close  of  life  enjoyed 
the  highest  confidence  of  their  fellow  citizens.  In  this  connection 
there  is  but  one  cause  o'f  regret,  which  is  that  the  name  of  Hon.  Or- 
ville  H.  Browning  does  not  appear.  No  name  might  more  fittingly 
have  appeared.  But  the  act  was  drawn  by  Judge  Browning,  and 
the  modesty  that  accompanies  merit  caused  him,  while  naming 
others  to  omit  himself.  Strange  that  some  one  did  not  move  to  in- 
sert his  name  in  the  bill;  but  though  never  actively  and  officially 


10 

connected  with  the  institution,  he  never  ceased  to  entertain  for  it 
the  liveliest  interest  as  was  manifested  by  his  sending  to  it  valuable 
public  documents  while  lie  remained  in  public  life,  and  by  his  earn- 
est inquiries  concerning  its  work  until  his  earthly  career  terminated. 
Judge  Browning's  complete  disinterestedness  in  the  subject  is 
manifested  by  his  naming  another  place  for  the  location  of  the 
institution  than  the  city  of  his  own  residence.  The  best  and 
most  convenient  location  was  the  one  he  desired,  and  as  Jackson- 
ville seemed  in  those  days  (preceding  railroads)  to  combine  most 
advantages,  he  named  that  city  in  the  act,  only  stipulating  that  the 
citizens  should  provide  a  site  comprising  not  less  than  five  acres  of 
land.  The  omission  of  his  name  is  the  more  to  be  regretted  since  we 
may  hope  that  had  he  been  one  of  the  Board  of  Directors  seven 
years  would  not  have  elapsed  before  the  school  would  have  been 
opened  for  pupils,  as  was  the  case. 

On  the  29th  of  June,  1839,  a  majority  of  the  directors  named  in 
the  Act  of  Incorporation  met  in  Jacksonville  and  proceeded  to  or- 
ganize. Gen.  Joseph  Duncan  was  elected  President,  Samuel  D. 
Lockwood,  Vice-President,  Otway  Wilkinson,  Treasurer,  and  George 
M.  Chambers,  Secretary.  Gen.  Duncan  was  a  most  suitable  man 
to  be  placed  at  the  head  of  any  educational  enterprise,  having,  in 
addition  to  his  experience  in  Congress,  and  as  a  general  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war,  had  the  honor  of  being  the  author  of  the  first  school  law 
of  the  State  of  Illinois.  He  was  a  man  of  large  views,  of  noble  im- 
pulses and  public  spirit.  Gen.  Duncan  continued  President  of  the 
Board  until  his  demise,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Col.  James  Dun- 
lap,  July  1,  1845.  Col.  Duulap  had  been  elected  a  member  of  the 
Board  February  16,  1842,  vice  Thomas  Carlin,  resigned.  He  had, 
at  the  incipieucy  of  the  enterprise,  shown  a  deep  interest  in  the  in- 
stitution, having  made  the  largest  subscription  toward  the  purchase 
of  land  required  by  the  Act  of  Incorporation.  He  was  continued 
in  the  Presidency  of  the  Board  as  long  as  he  remained  a  member  of 
it.  His  interest  in  the  institution  continued  until  the  close  of  his 
life.  One  of  the  last  acts  of  his  life  was  on  his  death-bed,  to  send 
for  the  superintendent  of  the  institution  and  talk  with  him  upon 
matters  connected  with  the  institution.  Col.  Duiilap  was  a  man 
who  devised  liberal  things  and  undertook  large  enterprises.  There 
have  been  but  few,  if  any,  more  public-spirited  citizens  in  Illinois 
than  Col.  James  Duulap. 

With  such  men  as  have  been  named  in  the  Board  of  Directors 


13 

it  seems  strange  to  us  at  this  distance  of  time  that  two  years  and  a 
half  elapsed  before  a  site  had  been  secured  for  the  institution, 
and  that  seven  years  should  pass  before  any  deaf-mutes  had  been 
admitted  to  its  halls,  or  any  instruction  given  them,  and  then  to 
only  four  pupils.  But  it  is  due  to  the  good  men  of  those  times  to 
remember  that  the  grand  scheme  of  internal  improvements  which 
had  been  inaugurated  in  1835  had  collapsed,  leaving  the  State 
overwhelmed  with  debt,  its  bonds  and  State  warrants  far  below  par, 
and  hard  times  prevailing  with  a  severity  of  which  the  active  gen- 
eration of  to-day  have  no  knowledge.  The  first  and  uppermost 
thought  of  the  citizen  then  was  to  extinguish  the  debt  of  the  State, 
and  of  the  people  to  secure  their  homes.  It  is  also  true  that  a  great 
system  of  State  institutions,  such  as  now  form  so  important  a  part 
of  every  State  government,  was  then  unknown. 

This  was  the  first  institution  established  by  the  State  for  the 
alleviation  of  misfortune,  and  upon  it  fell  the  task  of  arousing  the 
public  mind  to  the  practicability  and  importance  of  public  benefi- 
cence, and  of  the  extent  of  the  demand  for  it,  as  well  as  the  una- 
voidable outlay  necessary  in  its  prosecution.  Institutions  for  the 
education  of  the  deaf  and  dumb  have  this  distinction  in  almost  all 
States  of  the  Union.  The  American  Asylum  (for  the  education  of 
the  deaf  and  dumb)  at  Hartford,  Connecticut,  opened  in  1817,  was 
the  precursor  of  all  those  great  institutions  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb, 
the  Blind,  the  Insane  and  the  Feeble-minded,  that  form  so  large  a 
department  of  the  government  of  all  the  States  of  the  Union,  for 
whose  support,  in  some  States,  more  than  half  of  the  public  expen- 
diture is  made. 

In  view  of  these  facts  it  is  not  at  all  strange  that,  in  the  third  dec- 
ade of  this  century,  and  only  twenty  years  after  the  first  institution 
had  been  established  in  the  old  and  well-peopled  east,  that  a  new 
and  young  State  should  proceed  in  a  manner  that  now  seems  to  us, 
in  the  light  of  seventy  years1  experience,  quite  alow.  But,  though 
the  progress  of  the  first  few  years  was  slow,  it  was  determined. 
That  such  a  humane  work  should  be  commenced  immediately  on  its 
suggestion,  though  at  a  time  of  most  distressing  financial  depres- 
sion, is  greatly  to  the  credit  of  the  men  of  those  days.  It  seems  to 
one  reviewing  it  like  a  turning  away  from  the  wild  speculation  of  a 
few  years  before,  when,  as  a  historian  of  the  State  says,  "The  fever 
of  speculation  rapidly  advanced  in  intensity  until  the  fever  devel- 
oped into  mania,  reason  was  dethroned,  and  the  folly  of  inflation 


14 

held  high  carnival/'  to  the  more  honorable  work  of  caring  for  those 
who  could  not  care  for  themselves,  in  practical  obedience  to  the 
Divine  command,  "Thoushalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  Obe- 
dience to  the  Divine  command  was  speedily  followed  with  the  bless- 
ing of  Providence,  and  the  State  of  Illinois  at  once  entered  upon  a 
career  of  prosperity,  slow  indeed  at  first,  but  unremitting  in  growth 
and  increasing  in  rapidity  that  is  the  marvel  of  the  world.  "  Them 
that  honDi1  me  I  will  honor,"  has  been  shown  to  apply  to  the  State 
as  well  as  to  individuals.  The  State  can  in  no  more  forcible  man- 
ner acknowledge  the  Creator  than  by  beneficence  to  the  needy  and 
helpless. 

There  are  two  beneficent  results  accruing  from  the  instruction 
of  the  deaf  and  dumb  by  the  body  politic.  First,  to  its  subjects 
who  are  elevated  to  a  plane  of  enlightenment  in  which  they  can  enjoy 
the  noblest  pleasures  of  family  ties  and  social  life,  and  secondly,  to 
the  State  which  thus  secures  for  itself  intelligent,  self-reliant  citi- 
zens instead  of  ignorant  dependents  who,  otherwise,  for  the  term  of 
their  natural  lives,  would  be  an  incubus  upon  society  in  some  form. 
It  costs  less  to  educate  the  deaf  child,  maintaining  him  for  a  few 
years,  than  to  care  for  and  to  support  him  for  several  decades  as  a 
man  but  little  elevated  above  a  brute.  The  sum  of  money  expended 
by  the  people  of  Illinois  in  the  support  of  its  Institution  for  the 
Deaf  and  Dumb  is  large  in  the  aggregate  and  is  easily  computed, 
but  what  the  expenditures  by  society  for  its  beneficiaries  would 
otherwise  have  amounted  to,  being  made  in  innumerable  driblets, 
no  one  can  compute  with  certainty,  but  certain  it  is  that  the  sum  of 
all  these  would  far  exceed  the  former. 

Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  between  the  incorporation  of  the 
institution  in  February,  1839,  and  its  opening  in  February,  1846, 
that  the  Board  of  Directors  had  been  unmindful  of  their  trust. 
There  were  frequent  meetings  of  the  Board  and  its  Prudential 
Committee  during  those  years.  A  building,  then  deemed  ample 
for  many  generations,  was  erected  and  paid  for.  To  effect  this 
result  in  times  of  financial  depression,  so  severe  that  Auditor's 
warrants  were  sold  as  low  as  thirty  cents  on  the  dollar,  was  a  matter 
of  such  difficulty  as  the  present  generation  knows  nothing  of, 
when  the  State  Treasury  contains  a  surplus,  the  State  debt  is  all 
paid,  and  holders  of  its  bonds  refuse  to  present  them  for  payment. 
The  building  erected  was  eighty-six  feet  long,  fifty  wide,  three 
stories  and  an  attic  high.  The  writer  has  been  told  that  by  some  it 


17 

was  then  regarded  as  far  beyond  all  the  requirements  of  the  next 
hundred  years,  and  sometimes  derisively  styled  the  State's  folly,  so 
little  was  the  demand  for  such  an  institution  understood.  Not  a 
vestige  of  that  building  remained  after  thirty  years.  Could  the  men 
of  that  day,  with  prophet's  ken,  have  looked  down  the  vista  of  only 
forty  years  upon  the  great  and  beautiful  structures  that  now  suc- 
ceed theirs,  it  would  have  seemed  to  them  that  they  were  viewing 
the  baseless  fabrics  of  a  dream.  But  in  their  day  they  planned  and 
labored  as  hard  as  we  have  since,  and  practiced  far  more  self-denial 
than  has  fallen  to  our  lot.  During  the  summer' of  1845  eight  rooms 
of  the  building  were  finished.  With  these  the  Board  of  Directors 
felt  that  they  would  be  able  to  open  the  school.  They  were  now 
brought  to  the  most  serious  and  important  duty  that  could  come  to 
them.  In  all  that  had  thus  far  devolved  upon  them  in  their  respect- 
ive spheres  of  life  the  members  of  the  Board  were  as  wise  and  as 
sagacious  as  any  body  of  a  similar  number  that  could  be  gathered 
in  Illinois  or  any  other  State.  They  were,  as  already  seen,  men 
eminent  at  the  forum,  in  the  halls  of  legislation,  in  agriculture,  the 
pulpit  and  the  arenas  of  trade.  They  were  fully  cognizant  of  the 
necessity  of  the  greatest  prudence  in  the  selection  of  a  principal 
whose  success  or  failure  in  the  conduct  of  the  institution  would 
make  effective  or  paralyze  all  they  had  thus  far  done,  thus  bring- 
ing credit  or  mortification  to  them.  There  is  probably  no  position 
in  society  in  which  a  man  more  surely  requires  technical  skill, 
based  upon  years  of  actual  experience,  than  does  the  position  of 
superintendent  or  principal  of  an  institution  for  the  education  of 
the  deaf  and  dumb.  The  gentleman  who  first,  in  America,  under- 
took this  peculiar  work,  prepared  himself  by  long  previous  study, 
investigation  and  work  in  institutions  of  foreign  lands,  and  then, 
not  until  he  succeeded  in  inducing  a  man  of  still  longer  experience 
in  a  European  institution  to  assist  him  in  his  new  work,  did  he  act- 
ively enter  upon  it.  The  first  instructors  of  the  deaf  and  dumb  in 
America  were  all  college-bred  men  of  the  most  brilliant  attainments, 
and  of  ability  that  would,  and  did  in  some  cases,  achieve  success 
and  distinction  in  the  most  exalted  walks  of  life ;  some  in  college 
faculties,  some  in  divinity,  some  in  law,  and  some  in  authorship. 
No  profession — for  the  instruction  of  the  deaf  is  as  truly  a  profes- 
sion as  law,  medicine,  theology  or  art — was  ever  inaugurated  by  a 
better  class  of  men  or  style  of  mind  than  was  this.  Its  pristine 
dignity  it  has  maintained  as  well  as  any  other  profession.  That 


18 

some  individuals  have  been  improperly  admitted  to  it  is  not  to  be 
denied.  Still  more  regretful  is  the  fact  that  there  have  been  foisted 
upon  it  some  incompetent  and  unsuitable  persons  as  a  reward  of 
party  service.  But  this  has  not,  in  any  case,  been  by  the  influence 
of  members  of  the  profession,  but  in  spite  of  them.  Repeatedly  has 
the  high-toned  and  expert  instructor  felt  the  tinge  of  shame  and 
indignation  when  he  has  seen  his  loved  and  honorable  profession 
made  a  shuttle-cock  to  be  bandied  back  and  forth  by  party  heelers 
as  though  it  was  legitimate  party  spoils.  If  the  "  boodler  "  could  be 
of  some  service,  the  case  would  not  be  so  shameful,  but  he  not  only 
can  do  nothing  in  his  new  sphere,  but  he  is  actually  an  obstacle 
who  can  only  strut  around,  hold  down  an  office  chair  and  draw  a 
salary  he  has  not  earned.  To  direct  the  benefactions  of  a  generous 
people,  appropriated  by  them  for  a  noble  purpose  to  such  use,  lacks 
but  little,  if  any,  of  the  essential  spirit  of  knavery  and  robbery, 
even  though  it  is  done  under  the  forms  of  law.  It  is  impossible  to 
conceive  of  anything  more  absurd  than  to  place  in  charge  of  a 
company  of  youth,  to  direct  their  morals,  manners,  instruction,  and 
look  after  their  welfare,  one  who  can  not  even  ask  after  their  ail- 
ments in  sickness,  or  give  them  a  word  of  comfort  in  trouble.  This 
iniquity,  it  is  due  to  say,  has  not  often  been  practiced  anywhere, 
and  never  in  connection  with  this  institution. 

The  Board  of  Trustees  have  from  the  first  recognized  and  acted 
upon  the  principle  that  so  sacred  a  work  as  superintending  such  an 
institution,  should  be  intrusted  only  to  one  who  was  versed  in  the 
work  of  instructing  the  deaf,  who  could  communicate  with  them  in 
their  own  language  since  they  can  not  use  ours. 

Before  the  building  was  ready  for  occupancy  the  Board  had  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  seek  for  a  thoroughly  competent  man  to  take 
charge  of  the  new  institution  at  its  opening.  Extensive  correspond- 
ence was  opened  with  institutions  in  other  States  with  the  result 
that  Mr.  Thomas  Officer,  who  five  years  preceding  had  been  en- 
gaged as  a  teacher  in  the  Ohio  Institution,  was  elected  principal. 
It  is  quite  surprising  that  the  records  of  the  Board  and  the  reports 
of  the  institution  make  very  little  reference  to  Mr.  Officer.  So  far 
as  they  are  concerned  it  would  only  appear  that  he  was  employed 
at  a  meager  salary,  and  after  a  period  of  nine  years  withdrew  from 
the  institution.  The  writer,  as  his  successor  and  from  some  per- 
sonal acquaintance,  and  from  inquiry  of  his  coadjutors  and  com- 
rades both  in  the  Ohio  and  in  this  institution  is  prepared  to  say 


21 

that  the  Board  made  a  most  happy  and  fortunate  selection  for  their 
first  principal.  Mr.  Officer  was  well  posted  in  his  profession,  to  which 
he  was  an  ornament,  was  a  good  teacher,  a  fine  executive,  with 
pleasant,  genial  bearing,  eminently  becoming  the  Christian  gentle- 
man. He  had  an  urbane  and  winning  manner  that  ingratiated  him 
instantly  with  all  well-disposed  persons  and  soon  fixed  him  in  their 
confidence.  While  the  earlier  reports  of  the  institution  after  his 
advent  make  very  little  reference  to  Mr.  Officer,  the  subjects  they 
discuss  and  the  manner  of  their  discussion,  is  so  different  from  those 
preceding  them  as  to  clearly  show  that  they  are  inspired  by  a  mind 
such  as  previous  reports  have  not  felt  the  influence  of.  That  mind 
could  have  been  no  other  than  Mr.  Officer  himself,  though  his  name 
was  not  attached  to  them.  In  March,  1849,  Mr.  Officer  was  elected 
secretary  of  the  Board,  and  in  that  capacity  prepared  and  signed 
the  last  three  reports  of  the  Board  before  the  time  of  his  departure 
from  the  institution.  This  statement  will  readily  explain  the  fact 
of  so  little  reference  to  him  in  the  printed  'reports  of  the  institu- 
tion. 

Mr.  Officer  arrived  in  October,  1845.  Necessary  arrangements 
for  opening  the  school  were  made,  such  as  providing  furniture  and  the 
appointment  of  a  steward,  and  the  first  day  of  'December  fixed  upon 
as  the  date  for  opening  the  school,  notice  of  which  was  published 
in  the  newspapers  throughout  the  State.  The  day  for  opening 
came,  but  no  deaf-mutes  came  with  it.  Accordingly,  Mr.  Officer 
started  out  on  a  search  for  them.  In  the  course  of  several  weeks 
twelve  were  found  whose  parents  promised  to  send  them,  but  at  the 
designated  time  they  failed  to  put  in  an  appearance.  However,  by 
the  last  of  January,  1846,  four  had  reached  the  institution,  and  in 
the  month  of  February,  seven  years  after  the  passage  of  the  bill 
establishing  the  institution,  it  began  its  noble  work.  Accessions  to 
the  number  of  pupils  were  made  during  the  next  spring  so  that  dur- 
ing the  first  term  there  were  nine  deaf-mutes  admitted.  This  seems 
to  us  now  a  small  beginning,  but  other  institutions  had  before  this 
been  opened  with  small  numbers;  the  American  Asylum  with  but 
six;  the  Pennsylvania  with  seven;  the  Ohio  Institution  with  three, 
only  six  more  during  its  entire  first  year;  the  Tennessee  Institution 
with  nine,  and  the  Indiana  Institution  with  six.  Hence,  the  direct- 
ors, nothing  daunted,  sent  out  on  a  tour  of  search  the  superintend- 
ent during  the  summer  vacation.  His  success  in  securing  promises 
of  attendance  were  so  encouraging  that  an  additional  teacher  was 


22 

employed  for  the  new  term  which  was  to  open  on  the  17th  of  Sep- 
tember. During  the  fall  and  early  winter  there  were  five  acces- 
sions, so  that  in  its  second  term  fourteen  pupils  were  enrolled,  some 
being  quite  tardy  in  their  arrival.  In  their  report  made  at  this 
time,  December,  1846,  the  directors  state  to  the  General  Assembly 
that  if  the  means  to  complete  the  building  were  supplied  they  could 
also  admit  the  deaf-mutes  of  Missouri,  Iowa,  Arkansas  and  Wis- 
consin to  a  participation  in  its  advantages.  Except  Arkansas,  all 
of  these  States  did,  in  a  few  years,  send  deaf  children  to  this  insti- 
tution for  instruction. 

A  regulation  that  seriously  impeded  the  growth  of  the  institu- 
tion in  its  early  history  was  one  which  had  a  similar  paralyzing 
effect  on  institutions  in  other  States,  namely,  a  provision  that  re- 
quired parents  of  deaf  children  who  could  not  command  the  means 
to  pay  for  their  tuition  and  board  to  make  an  affidavit  to  that  effect 
before  a  justice  of  the  peace  who  should  then  certify  to  that  fact. 
In  recommending  the  repeal  of  this  provision  the  directors  say: 
"  The  only  effect  in  requiring  these  certificates,  so  far  as  we  can 
see,  is  to  deprive  many  of  those  who  are  actually  too  poor  to  pay 
for  the  advantages  of  the  institution.  Many  parents,  though  barely 
able  to  provide  food  and  clothing  for  their  families,  can  not  bring 
themselves  to  submit  to  the  disagreeable  task  of  going  before  jus- 
tices of  the  peace  and  asking  for  certificates  of  poverty."  Dur- 
ing the  year  1846  earnest  efforts  were  made  to  ascertain  the  num- 
ber, names  and  residences  of  the  deaf  and  dumb  within  the  State 
by  personal  exploration  of  the  State,  circulars  of  inquiry  to  census 
commissioners  of  1845,  and  to  clergymen  of  various  denominations, 
by  which  means  the  names  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  were  obtained 
of  whom  but  six  or  eight  were  in  circumstances  to  pay  for  their 
support  at  the  school.  These  efforts  in  time  bore  fruit,  though 
probably  not  as  soon  as  was  expected. 

In  the  fourth  biennial  report,  December,  1848,  only  three  years 
after  the  opening  of  the  school,  the  directors  find  that  the  building 
that  in  their  first  report  they  had  stated  would  answer  for  many 
years  to  come,  and  in  their  third  report  had  intimated  its  adequacy 
for  the  deaf-mutes,  not  only  of  Illinois,  but  also  for  those  of  Mis- 
souri, Iowa,  Arkansas  and  Wisconsin,  was  now  quite  crowded,  though 
only  sixty  pupils  had  been  received,  ten  of  whom  were  from  Mis- 
souri and  one  from  Iowa.  They  accordingly  applied  to  the  General 
Assembly  for  an  appropriation  of  ten  thousand  dollars  to  extend  the 


25 

buildings  by  the  erection  of  a  main  building  to  which  the  existing 
structure  should  be  a  wing.  For  most  other  purposes  the  building 
then  in  use  would  have  been  adequate  for  a  much  larger  number  of 
persons  than  it  then  served.  Such  a  multiplicity  of  things  must  be 
done  for  the  deaf  and  dumb  in  the  course  of  their  education  that 
they  require  more  room  than  any  other  class  of  people.  Separate 
provision  must  be  made  in  sitting-room,  dining-room,  bed-room, 
school-room,  chapel  and  shop,  so  that  at  the  very  infancy  of  this 
institution,  for  each  one  six  separate  and  distinct  provisions  had  to 
be  made,  besides  those  provisions  which  can  be  used  in  common 
such  as  kitchen,  bath-rooms  and  lavatories  and  laundry. 

With  the  coming  of  new  classes  at  the  opening  of  each  school 
year  it  became  necessary  to  employ  additional  instructors.  At  the 
outset  the  directors  clearly  determined  that  their  policy  should  be 
to  employ  only  competent  instructors  with  previous  experience  in 
this  peculiar  work.  The  principle  that  had  governed  them  in  the 
selection  of  a  principle  they  adopted  as  a  governing  one  in  the  ap- 
pointment of  subordinate  officers.  In  the  fourth  biennial  report, 
the  second  after  the  opening  of  the  school,  the  directors  wisely  say, 
"  In  the  employment  of  instructors  the  directors  have  endeavored 
as  far  as  possible  to  engage  none  but  those  possessing  the  very  best 
qualifications,  and  it  is  their  design  to  continue  in  future  to  act 
upon  the  same  principle.  The  difficulties  to  be  encountered  in  teach- 
ing the  deaf  and  dumb  are  such  that  persons  possessing  even  the 
best  common  education  could  be  of  little  service.  We  deem  it, 
therefore,  of  the  highest  importance  that  the  instructors  be  men 
possessing  a  thorough  education."  No  profession  or  vocation  in 
life  more  seriously  demands  skillful  training  and  protracted  expe- 
rience than  the  profession  of  deaf-mute  instruction,  and  yet  it  seems 
impossible  to  make  many  people  understand  this.  No  one  would 
seriously  think  of  placing  a  piece  of  fine  goods  in  the  hands  of  a 
novice  to  make  a  garment,  yet  the  importunities  sometimes  made  to 
place  a  mere  tyro  in  charge  of  a  class  of  children  to  practice  on 
their  minds  for  a  term  of  years  until  he  acquires  skill  would  be 
amusing  were  they  not  astounding.  It  is  a  pitiful  scene  to  witness 
the  blunders  of  a  novice  in  his  efforts  to  instruct  a  class  of  deaf- 
mutes.  The  intentions  are  good  and  the  well-meant  efforts  are  the 
best  he  can  do.  If  the  loss  resulting  from  his  mistakes  was  visited 
upon  the  tyro  it  might  be  patiently  tolerated,  but,  alas,  it  falls  upon 
the  deaf-mute  child  whose  golden  moments  are  being  wasted.  A 


26 

thoroughly  educated  young  person  with  a  natural  aptitude  for 
teaching  can  not  become  fully  equipped  for  this  work  in  a  shorter 
time  than  seven  years,  and  even  then  will,  if  honest,  confess  that 
he  has  but  just  entered  into  acquaintance  with  the  profession  and 
is  but  beginning  to  get  a  view  of  its  philosophy  and  scope  and  the 
immense  difficulties  it  involves.  The  loss  of  a  capable  teacher  is 
a  calamity  to  an  institution,  while  to  gain  one  is  a  stroke  of  good 
fortune  indeed.  This  institution  has  been  compelled  to  train  and 
induct  some  young  persons  into  this  work  who,  in  process  of  time, 
have  become  thoroughly  efficient,  but  whenever  able  to  do  so,  has 
drawn  them  from  elsewhere.  Upon  the  institutions  in  ten  States 
we  have  at  various  times  made  drafts. 

When  the  school  was  first  opened  the  policy  was  adopted  of  en- 
trusting the  domestic  department  to  a  steward,  allowing  him  a 
stipulated  sum  for  boarding  each  pupil.  This  plan  was  continued 
for  two  years,  when,  being  found  unsatisfactory,  it  was  discontinued 
and  the  steward  was  made  an  agent  of  the  Board.  He  was,  how- 
ever, continued  an  independent  officer  amenable  only  to  the  Board. 
This  arrangement  makes  an  institution  a  double-headed  affair,  in 
which  there  will  inevitably  be  conflict  and  misunderstanding.  It 
has  been  tried  in  most,  if  not  quite  all  public  institutions  with  the 
same  results.  It  has  seemed  almost  as  inevitable  for  an  institution 
to  pass  through  this  experience  as  for  children  to  be  attacked  with 
colic,  measles  and  whooping-cough.  It  is  a  principle  that  every- 
where else  is  universally  condemned  as  subversive  of  order  and 
system.  As  well  undertake  to  wage  a  war  with  two  generals  to  an 
army,  or  send  a  ship  on  a  voyage  with  two  captains,  as  to  under- 
take to  successfully  operate  a  public  institution  with  two  heads  by 
whatever  titles  they  may  be  called.  This  plan  was  followed  in  this 
institution  for  eight  years  with  such  friction  that  the  Legislature 
by  legal  enactment,  regardless  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  abolished 
the  office  of  steward  and  placed  the  institution  under  the  sole  man- 
agement of  one  head.  Had  this  sensible  and  reasonable  plan  been 
entered  upon  at  the  outset  a  vast  amount  of  unnecessary  animosity 
and  wrangling  would  have  been  avoided.  This  action  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  was  upon  a  recommendation  of  a  special  committee 
appointed  to  inquire  into  the  difficulties  and  troubles  that  had  so  long 
disturbed  the  institution.  This  was  a  joint  committee  from  the  Senate 
and  House  of  Representatives,  of  which  Senator  Robert  Boal,  then 
of  Marshall  county,  but  later  of  Peoria,  Illinois,  was  chairman.  Dr. 


AN  ARTICULATION  CLASS-ONE  OF  THIRTY-NINE. 


AN   ARTICULATION  CLASS— ONE  OF  THIRTY-NINE. 


29 

Boal  was  soon  after  appointed  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors,, 
which  relation  he  sustained  for  seventeen  years,  part  of  the  time 
being  President  of  the  Board.  Dr.  Boal's  influence  on  the  institu- 
tion was  most  enlightened,  helpful  and  progressive. 

The  subject  of  industrial  training  secured  immediate  attention 
upon  the  opening  of  the  institution.  The  pupils  when  admitted  in 
those  days  had  already  become  stout  youth  and  were  well  able  to 
perform  physical  labor.  The  boys  were  required  to  pass  a  portion 
of  each  day  in  doing  such  chores  as  sawing,  splitting  and  carrying 
wood,  and  working  in  the  garden.  The  girls  were  taught  various  kinds 
of  housework  and  sewing,  but  there  was  soon  developed  the  neces- 
sity for  trades  as  a  department  of  systematic  instruction.  The  first 
teacher  who  was  permanently  employed,  Mr.  Nathan  M.  Totten, 
while  a  pupil  of  the  New  York  Institution  had  acquired  some 
knowledge  of  cabinet-making.  In  May,  1848,  the  Board  purchased 
an  inferior  frame  structure  which  they  hauled  upon  the  grounds  of 
the  institution.  In  the  following  month  Mr.  Totten,  in  addition  to 
his  labors  in  the  school-room,  began  the  instruction  of  male  pupils 
in  the  cabinet-maker's  trade.  About  this  time  some  sporadic  work- 
was  done  by  pupils  at  shoemaking,  but  not  till  October,  1857,  Avas 
the  instruction  in  this  trade  systematic  and  regular.  The  directors 
in  their  fifth  report,  December,  1850,  speaking  on  the  importance  of 
trades  in  an  institution  for  the  deaf  and  dumb  speak  so  wisely  that 
it  is  fancied  a  more  lucid  and  satisfactory  statement  of  the  whole 
question  has  seldom,  if  ever  been  made. 

"  The  more  we  see  of  the  practical  workings  of  the  plan  of  con- 
necting manual  labor  with  mental  and  moral  instruction,  of  calling 
into  exercise  the  physical  energies,  and  directing  them  to  some 
definite  and  useful  object,  while  the  intellect  and  heart  are  being 
trained,  the  more  we  are  convinced  of  its  importance  and  practica- 
bility. Without  some  regular  employment,  requiring  bodily  exer- 
cise, many  neglect  to  take  such  an  amount  of  daily  exercise  as  is 
necessary  to  a  healthy  condition  of  the  body,  or  to  a  vigorous  exer- 
cise of  the  mind.  Although  at  times  the  ordinary  games  and  sports 
of  youth,  in  which  the  deaf  and  dumb  engage  with  as  much  zest  as 
others,  would  seem  to  afford  an  abundance  of  healthy  exercise,  yet 
these  all  in  turn  become  wearisome  to  the  most  lively  and  play- 
ful, and  frequently  for  weeks  together  they  seem  to  take  no  pleas- 
ure in  them.  This  want  of  exercise  superinduces  listlessness,  low 
spirits,  discontent,  dissatisfaction,  and  other  kindred  feelings,  which 


30 

are  utterly  incompatible  with  success  in  the  great  object  for  which 
they  are  assembled  together. 

"  Another  advantage  gained  by  the  connection  of  manual  with 
intellectual  labor  is,  that  there  is  much  less  liability  to  disturbances 
and  irregularities  of  conduct  among  the  pupils  after  school  hours. 
This,  among  a  large  number  of  youth,  is  a  matter  of  no  small  con- 
sequence. Possessing,  as  mutes  do,  all  the  varieties  of  disposition 
as  exhibited  by  others,  it  would  be  unreasonable  to  expect  harmony 
and  good  conduct  among  so  many,  if  left  without  regular  employ- 
ment during  the  hours  necessarily  devoted  to  exercise  and  recrea- 
tion. Frequent  disputes  and  difficulties  would  unavoidably  arise. 
Furnishing  them  with  some  stated  occupation  during  a  portion  of 
those  hours  is  the  best  security  against  these  difficulties.  No 
serious  disturbance  has  ever  occurred  among  the  pupils  at  the  Illi- 
nois Institution,  and  it  is  chiefly  to  be  attributed  to  the  fact  that 
they  are  thus  occupied. 

"  But  the  chief  advantage  remains  yet  to  be  mentioned.  It  is 
that  the  pupils  thus  acquire  habits  of  industry,  which  are  of  great 
•value  to  them  in  after  years.  In  comparison  with  this  it  is  a  small 
matter  that  a  few  dollars  are  saved  annually  to  the  institution  by  the 
labor  of  the  pupils.  The  attainment  of  this  object  would,  we  think, 
justify  the  outlay  of  considerable  sums,  if  necessary;  for  unless  such 
habits  are  formed  before  leaving  school,  it  is  greatly  to  be  feared 
that,  in  view  of  the  difficulties  which  a  mute  has  to  encounter  in 
getting  employment,  many  of  them  will  lack  the  energy  and  tact 
necessary  in  providing  for  themselves.  Failing  in  this  they  will 
lose  their  self  respect  and  will  be  too  apt  to  become  wandering  beg- 
gars, living  upon  the  charities  of  others.  Wherever  there  is  a 
mute  in  the  family  it  almost  universally  calls  forth  the  tenderest 
sympathies  of  the  parents.  Feeling  that  they  can  not  reason  with  it 
as  they  can  with  their  other  children,  about  right  and  propriety,  they 
too  often  allow  it  to  grow  up  almost  entirely  without  restraint,  re- 
quiring of  it  no  more  labor  than  seems  agreeable  to  its  own  feel- 
ings. If  the  habits  of  indolence  which  they  thus  form  are  allowed 
to  continue  during  the  whole  period  of  their  attendance  upon 
school,  by  the  time  that  they  are  ready  to  go  forth  from  the  institu- 
tion, these  habits  will  have  become  so  fixed  that  there  will  be  little 
prospect  of  their  ever  being  entirely  eradicated.  When,  moreover, 
it  is  considered  that  the  pursuits  upon  which  a  large  majority  of 
them  must  depend  for  earning  a  livelihood  are  of  that  class  which  re- 


33 

quires  considerable  physical  exertion,  we  can  not  but  regard  manual 
labor,  and  the  training  to  habits  of  industry,  as  a  necessary  part  of 
the  system  of  education  which  should  be  adopted  in  all  such  institu- 
tions. 

"  In  the  accomplishment  of  this  object,  shops  are  an  indispensa- 
ble requisite.  Without  them  it  would  be  impossible  to  furnish 
many  of  the  pupils  with  regular  employment,  and  besides,  their 
energy  should,  as  far  as  practicable,  be  directed  to  the  acquirement 
of  some  useful  occupation.  The  aim  and  purpose  of  every  institu- 
tion for  the  deaf  and  dumb  should  be  to  prepare  the  pupils  in  every 
respect — physically  as  well  as  mentally  and  morally — for  becoming 
good  and  useful  citizens,  supporting  themselves  by  their  own  exer- 
tions, without  being  dependent  upon  the  community  at  large  or 
their  friends.  To  this  end  not  only  should  industrious  habits  be 
formed,  but  opportunity  should  be  given  for  acquiring  practical 
knowledge  and  skill  in  some  honest  and  useful  calling.  An  insti- 
tution which  makes  no  such  provision  fails  to  discharge  an  impor- 
tant duty  which  it  owes  to  the  deaf  and  dumb.  For,  however  good 
their  education  may  be  in  other  respects,  when  they  go  forth  from 
the  institution,  unless  they  have  also  acquired  some  considerable 
knowledge  of  a  trade,  experience  proves  that  few  tradesmen  will  take 
the  pains  necessary  to  impart  that  knowledge  to  them.  The  diffi- 
culty does  not  arise  from  any  want  of  aptness  on  the  part  of  the 
deaf  and  dumb  to  learn  trades;  on  the  contrary,  their  ingenuity  is 
proverbial ;  but  it  arises  solely  from  the  inconvenience  which  neces- 
sarily attends  the  communication  of  ideas  on  the  part  of  those  un- 
acquainted with  the  sign  language.  This  makes  it  important  that 
trades  be  taught  them  at  the  institution,  where,  through  the 
medium  of  their  own  natural  language,  instruction  in  mechanics 
can  be  imparted  to  them  as  readily  as  any  other  kind  of  instruction. 

"  As  there  is  the  same  diversity  of  talent  and  taste  among  mutes 
as  among  hearing  and  speaking  people,  it  is  important  that 
several  trades  be  established  at  the  institution.  Those  who  can  not 
succeed  in  one  trade  may  be  found  to  excel  in  another,  and  it  would 
be  well  to  give  them  an  opportunity  to  make  a  selection  from  several 
pursuits." 

In  their  fourth  report  the  directors  made  two  important 
recommendations  to  the  General  Assembly,  which,  by  an  act  approved 
February  3,  1849,  were  carried  into  effect.  The  first,  changing  the 
name  of  the  corporation  from  the  Illinois  Asylum  for  the  Education 


34 

of  the  Deaf  and  Dumb,  to  the  Illinois  Institution  for  the  Education 
of  the  Deaf  and  Dumb,  and  the  second,  providing  that  section  7  of 
the  act  of  incorporation  which  required  certificates  of  poverty  from 
all  who  were  unable  to  pay  tuition  and  board,  should  be  repealed, 
and  that  the  institution  be  made  free  to  all  within  the  bounds 
of  the  State.  The  Board,  in  urging  the  latter  change,  state:  "  The 
only  effect  of  requiring  these  certificates,  as  far  as  we  can  see, 
is  to  deprive  many  of  those  who  are  actually  too  poor  to  pay, 
of  the  advantages  of  the  institution.  Many  parents,  though  barely 
able  to  provide  food  and  raiment  for  their  families,  can  not  bring 
themselves  to  the  disagreeable  task  of  going  before  two  justices 
of  the  peace  and  asking  for  certificates  of  poverty." 

Funds  for  the  support  of  the  institution  and  for  making  improve- 
ments were  supplied  first  by  a  provision  of  the  act  of  incorporation 
which  set  apart  one-quarter  per  cent,  of  interest  upon  the  whole 
amount  of  the  school,  college  and  seminary  fund,  for  the  use  of  the 
institution,  and  secondly,  by  an  act  approved,  February  23,  1847, 
making  a  permanent  appropriation  of  three  thousand  dollars  per 
annum  for  the  same  purpose,  and  thirdly,  by  special  appropriation 
for  specific  purposes  until  the  year  1851.  In  the  meantime,  the 
Illinois  State  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  and  the  Illinois  Institution 
for  the  Education  of  the  Blind,  had  come  into  existence  and  were 
sustained  by  a  special  tax  which  gave  to  them  an  assured  stability 
very  desirable,  and  one  which  this  institution  very  greatly  needed 
for  its  more  confident  progress.  The  vicissitudes  that  always 
attend  an  appropriation  before  a  Legislature  are  seriously  distract- 
ing, not  only  to  a  board  of  trustees  and  superintendent,  but  also  to 
all  subordinate  officers  who  can  not  be  oblivious  to  the  fact  that  an 
oversight  or  a  clerical  error  may  subject  them  for  two  years  to 
weighty  inconvenience,  if  not  to  the  entire  loss  of  the  means  of  sub- 
sistence; and  to  the  pupils  also,  who  are  well  aware  that  the  entire 
course  of  their  life  may  be  changed  to  their  very  great  and  lifelong 
disadvantage  and  perhaps  discomfiture.  It  is  as  true  of  deaf-mutes 
as  of  others,  that  for  the  best  results  of  school  work  their  minds 
require  the  absence  of  distracting  anxieties  and  disturbing 
influences.  It  is  entirely  an  error  to  suppose  that  the  pupils  of 
such  an  institution  take  no  thought  upon  these  subjects.  Indeed 
no  other  class  of  students  enter  more  fully  into  all  that  effects  their 
instructors  as  well  as  themselves.  The  directors  in  the  fifth  report 
presented  this  subject  to  the  General  Assembly  and  recommended 


that  the  institution  thereafter  should  be  sustained  by  special  tax. 

"The  directors  would  respectfully  urge  upon  your  consideration 
the  propriety  of  establishing  the  institution  upon  a  more  permanent 
basis.  Although  the  Institution  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  was  the 
pioneer  of  the  three  noble  State  charities  amongst  us,  yet,  while  the 
other  two  have  a  permanent  fund  upon  which  to  rely  for  their  sup- 
port from  year  to  year,  this  institution  is  obliged  to  solicit  special 
appropriations  at  every  session  of  the  Legislature.  We  have  no 
cause  to  complain  of  any  want  of  liberality  on  the  part  of  the  Legis- 
lature toward  the  institution;  on  the  contrary,  we  are  proud  in  being 
able  so  say  that  no  appeal  has  ever  been  made  by  the  institution 
but  what  has  been  met  by  a  hearty  response  from  both  branches  of 
the  General  Assembly.  Still  we  can  not  but  feel  that  there  is  a 
degree  of  uncertainty  and  instability  necessarily  connected  with 
this  method  of  supporting  the  institution,  which  is  a  disadvantage 
to  it.  We  would  therefore  beg  leave  to  recommend  that  the  institu- 
tion be  supported  either  by  an  appropriation  which  shall  be  annual 
and  sufficient  to  cover  at  least  the  ordinary  expenses,  or  by  a  special 
tax,  as  is  the  case  with  the  other  two  institutions.  Of  the  two 
methods  proposed,  the  Board  would  prefer  the  latter,  as  it  would 
relieve  them  of  the  responsibility  and  embarrassment  connected 
with  the  disposal  of  so  large  an  amount  of  auditor's  warrants,  and 
as  the  institution  would  thereby  become  more  extensively  known 
throughout  the  State  than  by  any  means  of  publication  within  the 
power  of  the  Board." 

This  subject  was  favorably  considered  by  the  General  Assembly 
and  an  act  approved  April  18,  1857,  provided: 

"  That  for  the  purpose  of  defraying  the  ordinary  expenses  of 
the  Illinois  Institution  for  the  Education  of  the  Deaf  and  Dumb, 
a  separate  fund  is  hereby  created  and  established,  in  addition  to 
the  fund  provided  for  in  the  act  of  incorporation  to  be  denominated, 
'  The  fund  for  the  Education  of  the  Deaf  and  Dumb,'  which  shall 
consist  of  one-sixth  of  a  mill  upon  each  dollar's  worth  of  taxable 
property  in  the  State,  to  be  taken  and  deducted  from  the  tax  of 
two  mills  on  the  dollar,  authorized  to  be  assessed  and  collected  for 
paying  the  ordinary  expenses  of  government  by  the  act  passed  on 
the  first  day  of  March,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty-five, 
entitled  'An  act  to  provide  for  paying  a  portion  of  interest  on  the 
State  debt,'  and  as  the  revenue  of  the  State  is  collected  and  passed 
into  the  treasury,  the  Auditor  shall  direct  the  Treasurer  to  credit 


36 

the  aforesaid  fund  by  the  amount  of  one-sixth  of  a  mill,  in  a  sepa- 
rate account  to  be  kept  for  that  purpose." 

Such  a  provision  for  the  support  of  an  institution  is  the  ideal 
one,  so  far  as  the  institution  itself  is  concerned,  but  whether 
this  does  not  in  a  measure  estop  the  frequent  exhibit  to  the  people 
of  its  workings  and  prevent  the  recognition  of  the  accountability 
which  should  never  be  forgotten  by  public  officers,  may  be  seriously 
questioned.  As  the  manager  of  an  institution,  one  should  most 
unhesitatingly  favor  it,  but  as  a  citizen  and  taxpayer  one  would 
object  to  it.  But  whether  the  wisest  or  not,  the  law  under  considera- 
tion was  continued  in  force  only  four  years,  being  repealed  by  an 
act  amending  the  revenue  laws,  February  14, 1855,  since  which  time 
its  necessities  have  been  provided  for  by  special  acts  of  successive 
sessions  of  the  General  Assembly,  with  the  exception  of  the 
small  amount  that  accrued  to  the  institution  in  pursuance  of  the 
act  of  incorporation,  which  set  apart  to  it,  as  already  detailed,  a 
small  portion  of  the  interest  of  the  school,  college  and  seminary 
fund.  This,  however,  was  taken  from  it  and  turned  over  to  the  Ill- 
inois Normal  University  in  the  year  1872. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  the  conflict  between  the  principal's 
and  steward's  departments,  which  resulted  in  the  dismissal  of  three 
stewards  by  the  Board  and  the  abolishment  of  the  steward's  office 
in  all  the  institutions  of  the  State  by  an  act  of  the  General  As- 
sembly, February  13,  1857.  The  events  that  led  up  to  these  dis- 
missals and  this  enactment  were  attended  with  very  unpleasant 
controversies  between  the  friends  of  the  parties  most  interested. 
Bitter  antagonisms,  as  was  inevitable  under  such  circumstances, 
were  engendered  which  could  not  be  suppressed.  The  consequence 
was  that  after  the  failure  of  repeated  efforts  to  harmonize  the  dis- 
cordant elements  in  the  Board  of  Directors,  and  in  the  institution, 
that  on  the  16th  of  October,  1855,  Mr.  Thomas  Officer  resigned  the 
office  of  principal  of  the  institution.  This  was  shortly  followed  by 
the  resignation  of  the  secretary  and  treasurer,  and  by  the  with- 
drawal of  two  members  from  the  Board.  Rev.  Thomas  M.  Newell, 
who  had  been  one  of  the  instructors  for  four  years,  was  offered  the 
office  of  principal,  but  declined  to  accept  it  or  even  to  superintend 
the  school  until  a  competent  principal  could  be  found.  The  insti- 
tution being  without  a  competent  head  was  thrown  into  great  con- 
fusion; the  pupils  most  of  them  absconded,  or  were  removed  by 
friends;  some  teachers  withdrew,  and  others,  having  nothing  to  do, 


were  dispensed  with,  only  two  remaining  to  instruct  the  few  pupils 
who  had  continued  at  the  institution.  Rev.  Newton  Cloud,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board,  a  gentleman  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  the 
entire  community,  was  requested  to  accept  the  office  of  principal, 
and  was  by  action  of  the  Board  clothed  with  all  authority  pertaining 
to  that  position.  Mr.  Cloud  consented  to  do  the  best  he  could  under 
the  demoralized  condition  of  affairs,  but  knowing  himself  not 
qualified  for  the  position,  and  being  too  honest  to  hold  a  position 
he  could  not  faithfully  and  efficiently  fill,  would  only  consent  to  oc- 
cupy it  until  a  competent  principal  qualified  by  professional  knowl- 
edge and  actual  experience  could  be  obtained  to  discharge  its 
duties  permanently.  Soon  after  Mr.  Officer's  resignation  a  com- 
mittee of  five  members  of  the  Board  was  appointed,  "  to  ascer- 
tain who  can  be  employed  to  act  as  principal  of  the  institution," 
but  the  withdrawal  of  the  chairman  of  the  committee  from  the 
Board  and  other  causes  prevented  their  doing  anything  in  the 
matter.  After  reorganization  and  some  futile  efforts  to  act,  the 
committee,  upon  their  own  request,  were  discharged,  and  the  presi- 
dent of  the  Board  was  requested  to  visit  various  institutions  in 
search  of  a  competent  man  for  the  position.  After  a  search  of 
two  months  he  returned  and  recommended  to  the  Board  Mr. 
Edward  Peet,  of  New  York,  who  was  unanimously  elected  and 
notified  thereof,  and  requested  to  enter  upon  his  duties  as  prin- 
cipal of  the  institution  without  delay.  Mr.  Peet  promptly  ap- 
peared on  the  ground,  and  a  meeting  of  the  Board  was  convened  at 
his  desire  to  conclude'  negotiations,  but  when  the  Board  convened, 
to  their  surprise  Mr.  Peet  had  "  quitely  folded  his  tent"  and  re- 
turned to  New  York  without  waiting  to  meet  the  gentlemen  of  the 
Board,  some  of  whom  lived  in  remote  places  in  the  state.  Mr. 
Peet,  however,  favored  the  Board  with  a  letter  from  his  home  in 
New  York  declining  to  accept  the  appointment.  The  President  of 
the  Board  was  instructed  to  open  immediate  communication  with 
Mr.  Philip  G.  Gillett,  of  the  Indiana  Institution,  with  whom  he  had 
some  negotiations  while  on  his  way  to  the  East,  and  who  had  failed 
to  receive  an  important  communication  forwarded  him  by  mail  sev- 
eral weeks  before.  The  President  carried  out  his  instructions  by 
deputizing  Rev.  Newton  Cloud,  the  acting  principal,  to  personally 
visit  Mr.  Gillett  at  his  home  in  Indianapolis  and  close  an  engage- 
ment with  him  if  possible.  Mr.  Cloud,  who  had  grown  weary  of  the 
novel  labors  he  had  undertaken  and  had  become  satiated  with  its 


40 

honors,  lost  no  time  in  making  the  proposed  visit  and  bringing  back 
with  him  the  young  man  in  search  of  whom  he  was  dispatched.  Mr. 
Cloud  having  captured,  wisely  bagged  his  game  and  took  him  at 
once  to  the  institution,  where  he  was  safe  from  any  evil  influences 
that  might  tend  to  scare  him  away.  Mr.  Gillett,  after  a  few  days' 
survey  of  the  situation,  and  becoming  assured  that  all  requisite  and 
proper  authority  and  prerogatives,  including  the  selection  of  all  sub- 
ordinate officers,  would  be  accorded  him,  and  that  he  should  be 
the  sole  head  of  the  institution  and  the  sole  organ  of  communication 
between  the  Board  and  the  subordinate  departments,  signified  his 
willingness  to  accept  the  position  of  principal.  Some  of  his  friends 
thought  it  a  rash  thing  for  a  beardless  youth  to  do,  but  accounted 
for  it  upon  the  principle  that  "  fools  rush  in  where  angels  fear  to 
tread."  Mr.  Gillett  (derisively  styled  "that  boy  that's  come  to  run 
the  deaf  and  dumb")  at  once  (April  26,  1856)  entered  upon  the 
duties  of  the  principalship  of  the  institution.  Of  the  one  hundred  and 
seyen  pupils  that  had  been  present  in  the  fall  only  twenty-two  re- 
mained. The  matron  and  all  but  two  of  the  teachers  had  left  the  in- 
stitution, feeling,  as  one  of  the  local  papers  said  in  announcing  Mr. 
Gillett's  coming,  that  "  acceptance  under  such  circumstances  was 
proof  positive  of  incompetence  and  untrustworthiness."  To  bring  to- 
gether and  organize  a  new  corps  of  officers  and  restore  confidence  in 
former  pupils  and  their  parents,  and  overcome  prejudice,  was  the 
difficult  task  to  be  done  as  soon  as  possible.  Guilty  of  the  "  atrocious 
crime  of  being  a  young  man,"  with  a  face  innocent  of  down,  he  not 
unfrequently  experienced  amusing  episodes  as  well  as  trying  and 
vexatious  unreasonableness.  Time,  however,  rapidly  healed  the  mis- 
fortune of  youth,  as  Mr.  Gillett  promised  it  should  if  only  a  due 
amount  of  patience  was  shown  him.  The  Board  of  Directors, 
in  the  eighth  biennial  report,  December  26,  1856,  eight  months 
after  Mr.  Gillett's  advent,  in  announcing  the  change  of  Principals* 
say:  "The  Board  of  Directors  now  have  the  pleasure  to  announce 
that  they  have  been  enabled  to  procure  the  services  of  Mr.  Philip  G. 
Gillett,  of  Indiana,  as  superintendent,  and  that  the  school  opened  this 
session  with,  and  has  now  a  larger  number  of  pupils  than  at  any 
previous  session,  the  number  being  one  hundred  and  nine.  The 
Board  of  Directors  deem  themselves  fortunate  in  having  procured 
the  services  of  Mr.  Gillett.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  strong  and  vigor- 
ous mind,  an  accomplished  scholar  and  experienced  in  teaching  the 
sign  language;  indeed,  he  has  made  this  his  occupation  for  life,  and 


41 

with  him  it  is  as  much  a  labor  of  love  as  duty.  Mr.  Gillett  comes 
to  us  highly  recommended  from  the  Indiana  school  and  from  dis- 
tinguished citizens  of  our  neighboring  State,  and  we  are  well 
satisfied  that  the  people  of  Illinois  will  be  content  with  the  action 
of  the  Board  in  calling  Mr.  Gillett  to  the  head  of  the  institution." 
Twenty  years  later,  in  1876,  in  preparing  their  report  for  the  cen- 
tennial year,  the  Illinois  State  Board  of  Public  Charities  review 
the  history  of  all  the  State  institutions  then  in  existence,  and  in 
their  review  of  this  institution,  say :  "  With  the  advent  of  Mr.  Philip 
G.  Gillett  to  the  superintendency,  in  1856,  the  institution  entered 
upon  a  new  career  of  vigorous  youth  and  expansion.  His  energetic 
spirit  has  driven  the  school,  the  public  and  even  the  Legislature 
before  him.  When  this  has  been  impossible,  he  has  sometimes  gone 
in  advance  himself  and  waited  for  the  rest  to  come  up." 

Three  serious  problems  presented  themselves  to  the  new  prin- 
cipal immediately  upon  assuming  the  responsibilities  of  his  office. 
The  first  was  to  secure  the  return  of  the  absent  pupils  and  to  gain 
the  confidence  of  their  parents  and  friends;  the  second  to  bring  to- 
gether and  organize  a  corps  of  officers ;  and  third  to  hasten  the  com- 
pletion and  proper  furnishing  of  uncompleted  buildings.  No  parents 
are  more  chary  of  entrusting  their  children  to  strangers  than  the 
parents  of  deaf-mutes.  This  is  reasonable,  for  the  deaf  child's 
every  want  has  been  the  subject  of  parental  solicitude  in  every  hour 
of  its  life.  Unable  to  make  known  its  wants  by  ordinary  methods, 
their  anticipation  has  become  the  parental  habit,  and  its  limited 
gestures  always  appealing  most  touchingly  to  the  sympathy  of  mem- 
bers of  the  family,  are  understood  by  them  only.  It  is  extremely 
hard  for  the  parents  to  believe  that  another  can  or  will  do  this  bet- 
ter than  themselves.  The  ordeal  of  committing  a  deaf  child  to 
strangers  is  one  of  the  most  trying  that  ever  comes  to  a  parent. 
After  witnessing  it  continuously  for  forty  years,  and  having  been 
one  of  the  parties  in  more  than  two  thousand  cases,  it  still  remains 
to  me  an  affecting  scene.  While  of  necessity  it  possesses  an  element 
of  business,  yet  its  element  of  sentiment  is  as  decided  as  at  first. 
Personal  visits  in  the  horned  of  the  pupils  were  the  means  chiefly 
relied  upon  and  found  most  effective  in  inducing  the  return  of  pupils 
to  the  institution  at  the  beginning  of  the  next  term,  which  opened 
with  a  larger  attendance  of  pupils  than  any  previous  term. 

Experienced  teachers  and  a  matron  were  secured  in  other 
states,  some  former  teachers  were  continued  or  re-engaged  and 


4-2 

a  new  one  was  taken  under  training  in  time  to  be  of  some  avail 
when  needed.  Up  to  this  time  the  profession  of  instructing  the 
deaf  and  dumb  had  been  practiced  only  by  men,  and  solely  by 
hearing  and  speaking  men  who  were  college  graduates  or  by 
deaf  men  who  were  graduates  from  institutions  for  the  deaf  and 
dumb.  No  women  to  this  time  had  been  regularly  appointed 
anywhere  upon  the  corps  of  instruction,  though  there  were  a 
very  few  instances  in  which  females  who  were  born  or  reared 
in  institutions  had  been  for  a  time  engaged  to  supply  vacancies, 
but  this  had  been  regarded  as  unprofessional,  irregular  and  not 
to  be  approved.  Necessity  sometimes  drives  us  to  the  adoption 
of  most  excellent  expedients,  as  was  the  case  of  the  women 
alluded  to.  There  are  no  other  persons  who  so  well  know  the 
deaf  and  dumb,  and  so  fully  enter  into  sympathy  with  them, 
and  so  clearly  understand  their  inner  life,  as  those  who  have 
been  born  and  reared  among  them.  In  entering  upon  the  work 
of  instructing  the  deaf  they  have  advantages  at  the  outset  that 
one  differently  reared  can  acquire  only  by  long  years  of  associa- 
tion with  them.  Indeed,  it  may  be  questioned  if  any  others  even 
as  fully,  accurately,  and  justly  understand  the  deaf  and  dumb  as 
they.  Consequently  it  would  seem  as  almost  an  imperative  duty 
for  such  persons  to  devote  their  lives  to  the  work  of  deaf-mute 
instruction. 

Mr.  Gillett  having  seen  some  of  these  sporadic  cases  of  women 
temporarily  engaged  in  instructing  deaf-mutes,  and  believing 
that  as  teachers  of  children  none  are  superior  to  women,  in 
organizing  a  corps  of  instructors  appointed  a  woman  upon  it 
as  a  regular  and  permanent  teacher.  This  has  been  followed  by 
similar  appointments  in  this  and  all  the  other  institutions  of 
America,  until  now  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  teachers  of 
deaf-mutes  in  America  are  women.  It  is  urged  by  eminent  au- 
thority that  in  this  the  profession  has  deteriorated,  but  no  one 
has  yet  shown  that  the  work  accomplished  in  the  school-rooms 
of  the  institutions  for  the  deaf  and  dumb  is  at  all  inferior  to 
that  of  forty  years  ago.  It  is  believed  to  be  better.  In  select- 
ing women  for  instructors  the  same  governing  principles  were 
recognized  as  in  selecting  men,  that  they  should  have  a  college 
education  or  its  equivalent.  On  this  subject,  in  his  first  report 
to  the  Board  of  Directors,  the  principal  insisted.  In  the  organ- 
ization of  an  institution  nothing  is  of  greater  importance  than 


45 

to  secure  persons  of  superior  attainments  to  fill  the  offices  of  the 
intellectual  and  its  cognate  departments,  and  to  make  their  sit- 
uations permanent.  "  No  person  is  qualified  for  a  situation  in 
a  deaf-mute  institution  who  could  not  succeed  in  any  profession, 
especially  one  which  depended  mainly  on  public  speaking;  nor  will 
the  ordinary  duties  admit  of  taking  men  worn  out  in  other  pro- 
fessions; nowhere  does  a  drone  succeed  more  poorly  than  teach- 
ing the  deaf  and  dumb.  For  teachers  we  must  look  to  young, 
enterprising  persons  in  the  prime  of  life ;  and,  as  a  general  rule, 
the  employment  of  young,  active  officers  is  desirable  in  all  de- 
partments. If  we  expect  persons  in  the  prime  of  life,  with  the 
world  opening  before  them  its  long  vista  of  hopes  and  anticipa- 
tions, it  must  be  perfectly  evident  that  a  remuneration  corre- 
sponding with  the  emoluments  of  other  professions  must  be  af- 
forded, otherwise  we  shall  be  unable  to  procure  and  retain  men 
of  the  right  stamp;  a  result  which  would  be  extremely  detriment- 
al to  the  literary  character  of  the  institution  and  of  but  slight 
advantage  as  regards  its  finances."  These  have  been  the  ruling 
principles  in  the  selection  of  officers  to  the  present  time.  No  in- 
fluence has  ever  been  allowed  to  contravene  them.  In  conse- 
quence its  corps  has  always  maintained  a  high  standard  of  effi- 
ciency and  honor.  This  is  well  attested  by  the  fact  that  from 
its  corps,  ten  have  been  called  to  superintend  similar  institutions 
in  other  States;  two  have  been  called  to  college  professorships, 
and  one  to  the  acting  presidency  of  an  important  college.  To 
obtain  capable,  experienced  officers  has  been  no  slight  difficulty. 
Applications  for  situations  have  been  numerous,  but  from  indi- 
viduals who  had  no  knowledge  of  the  labors  they  were  seeking 
to  enter  upon.  Young  men  who  would  not  trust  their  skill  to 
cut  a  side  of  leather  to  make  a  pair  of  shoes,  and  young  women 
who  would  not  trust  themselves  to  cut  a  piece  of  silk  to  make 
for  themselves  a  dress  lest  there  might  be  waste  of  material, 
have  often  thought  it  a  very  proper  thing  that  they  be  entrusted 
with  twenty  plastic  minds  to  practice  on,  in  order  to  acquire 
skill  in  the  intricate  and  difficult  work  of  instructing  the  deaf 
and  dumb.  If  the  blunders  and  mistakes  entailed  loss  only  on 
themselves  they  might  be  tolerated  for  a  time,  but  unfortunately 
upon  the  deaf-mute  pupils  are  visited  the  evil  consequences  of 
inexperience  in  the  teachers. 

In  securing  competent  persons  for  its  official  corps  this  institu- 


4G 

tion  has,  at  various  times,  drawn  from  those  of  eleven  other  States. 
The  only  question  that  has  ever  been  discussed  with  reference  to 
proposed  appointments  has  been  capability  and  fitness.  Party 
affiliations  and  sectarian  predilections  have  never  been  considered 
in  this  connection.  That  practice  that  of  late  years  has  debased 
some  institutions  for  the  deaf  and  dumb  in  other  States  to  party 
boodleism  has  never  invaded  the  Illinois  Institution. 

The  subject  that  engaged  much  solicitude  at  the  reorganization 
of  the  institution  was  the  condition  of  the  buildings.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  first  Board  of  Directors  were  men  eminent  and  success- 
ful in  their  own  callings,  and  of  great  prominence  in  the  State, 
but  they  are  a  striking  instance  of  how  important  it  is  for  any 
enterprise  to  be  directed  by  a  mind  that  understands  what  he  has  in 
hand  and  how  to  accomplish  the  work  in  contemplation.  The  first 
building  erected,  in  three  years  after  its  occupancy,  was  proved  in- 
adequate, which  the  directors  explain  in  their  fifth  report,  saying: 
"The  original  building  was  put  up  before  any  one  had  been  em- 
ployed who  was  familiar  with  the  wants  of  such  an  institution.' 
Some  remodeling  was  done  on  this  in  connection  Avith  the  construc- 
tion of  a  main  edifice,  which  was  completed  in  the  year  1852.  But 
in  two  years  this  latter  was  found  to  be  insecure,  and  in  the  year 
1854  its  front  was  torn  down  to  be  rebuilt  in  connection  with  the 
erection  of  a  north  wing.  At  the  time  of  the  reorganization  these 
buildings  were  incomplete,  being  unplastered  and  only  partially 
floored.  The  plans  for  warming  and  lighting  them  contemplated 
ordinary  wood  stoves  and  lard  oil  lamps.  This  subject  was  accord- 
ingly urged  upon  the  Board  and  the  Legislature  with  the  result  that 
the  appropriations  were  made  to  adopt  steam  heating  and  gas  light- 
ing. 

In  the  first  report  he  prepared,  Mr.  Gillett  called  the  attention 
of  the  Legislature  to  the  subject  of  the  education  of  feeble-minded 
children.  The  processes  of  education  practiced  in  this  institution 
being  the  most  elementary  of  any  practiced  in  the  State,  such  chil- 
dren were  often  brought  here  under  the  misapprehension  that  as 
they  were  speechless  that  they  must  be  deaf.  A  mistake  common 
even  yet,  a  frequent  concomitant  of  mental  imbecility  being  absence 
of  speech  when  the  hearing  faculty  is  perfect.  At  that  time  there 
was  a  general  disbelief  in  the  practicability  of  teaching  the  feeble- 
minded, though  in  the  Eastern  States  a  few  institutions  for  this 
class  were  advocated  by  the  most  cautious  and  conservative  citizens 


47 

as  a  wise  measure  of  political  economy,  as  well  as  a  public  duty. 
In  this  report  (the  eighth)  Mr.  Gillett  stated:  "It  will  certainly  be 
a  proud  day  for  Illinois  when  she  can  boast  of  institutions  whose 
blessings,  like  the  rains  and  dews,  the  air  and  sunshine,  are  fes- 
tooned alike  upon  all  her  unfortunates."  This  subject  was  pre- 
sented from  time  to  time  till  the  Legislature,  in  1865,  was  induced 
to  make  an  appropriation  for  an  experimental  school  for  feeble- 
minded children,  which  was  conducted  by  the  trustees  and  princi- 
pal of  the  Institution  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  until  it  was  established 
upon  the  same  independent  basis  as  the  other  State  institutions. 
It  is  with  no  little  pleasure  that  that  institution,  in  a  sense  the  child 
of  this,  is  seen  to  occupy  a  most  honorable  position  among  those  of 
a  similar  nature  throughout  the  world. 

Soon  after  steam  heating  was  adopted  as  a  means  of  warming  the 
institution,  a  scarcity  of  water  was  experienced.  Previous  to  this, 
wells  and  cisterns  had  been  found  adequate,  but  under  the  new  sys- 
tem so  much  more  water  was  required  that  they  utterly  failed  to 
meet  the  requirements.  Resort  was  had  to  hauling  water  from 
other  sources,  but  this  was  expensive  and  laborious,  and  obliged 
the  limited  use  of  an  element  that  should  be  used  freely.  An 
expedient  was  adopted  of  throwing  out  wing  ditches  on  the  north 
side  of  College  Hill,  to  catch  the  storm  water  and  conduct  it  to  a 
reservoir  on  a  piece  of  low  ground  on  the  institution  premises,  but 
this  failed  to  meet  the  expectations  that  had  been  entertained.  The 
subject  became  more  serious  until  it  threatened  the  life  of  the  insti- 
tution. In  the  early  winter  of  1870  the  Board  of  Directors  decided 
to  construct  a  water-works  plant  on  a  stream  known  as  "  The 
Brook,"  a  mile  south  of  the  institution,  and  pump  the  water  there- 
from to  the  reservoir  they  had  already  built.  It  would  have  been 
wiser  had  they  abandoned  that  reservoir  and  constructed  a  new  one 
on  the  high  ground  over  which  the  water  was  pumped  from  the 
brook.  This  plan  would  have  ever  after  placed  the  water  in  the 
building  by  gravity  and  saved  the  perpetual  labor  of  pumping  it. 
This  was  appreciated  at  the  time,  but,  having  as  a  dernier  resort 
assumed  the  authority  of  constructing  the  water-works,  the  Board 
of  Trustees,  influenced  by  a  desire  to  make  the  smallest  possible 
outlay,  continued  the  use  of  the  old  reservoir.  The  water- works 
were  not  finished  until  midwinter,  the  pipe  being  laid  in  trenches, 
dug  through  hard,  frozen  ground,  much  of  the  way  the  frost  being 
driven  out  of  the  ground  by  fires  along  the  line  where  it  was  pro- 


48 

posed  to  lay  the  pipes  and  the  foundation  for  the  pump  and  boiler 
house.  This  proved  successful  and  had  the  effect  not  only  to  relieve 
the  institution  from  its  distress  but  demonstrated  to  the  public  the 
practicability  of  securing  a  supply  of  water  for  the  city  of  Jackson- 
ville upon  the  same  general  plan.  But  a  few  years  later  the  city 
constructed  a  system  of  water- works  for  its  own  use,  from  which  the 
institution  has  since  secured  its  supply  of  water,  favorable  terms 
having  been  offered  upon  which  this  service  would  be  rendered. 
Only  one  who  has  passed  through  the  experience  of  managing,  with 
a  limited  supply  of  water,  a  large  establishment,  when  the  warmth, 
cleanliness,  health  and  daily  routine  of  work  and  study  of  a  multi- 
tude of  persons  is  involved,  can  fully  appreciate  the  situation  of 
one  so  circumstanced.  The  spectres  that  rise  before  one  in  this 
condition  are  truly  appalling. 

The  satisfactory  settlement  of  the  water  question  opened  the 
way  for  the  rapid  growth  and  enlargement  of  the  institution, 
which  was  at  that  time  greatly  needed,  as  an  epidemic  of  cerebro- 
spinal-meningitis  largely  increased  the  number  of  deaf  children  in 
the  state. 

The  south  wing,  that  had  been  completed  in  1846  and  remod- 
eled in  1850,  was  deemed  unsafe  and  was,  in  1871,  rebuilt  in  a  sub- 
stantial manner,  and  in  style  corresponding  with  the  north  wing 
and  main  building,  as  rebuilt  in  1855  and  1856.  Two  years  later 
a  dining  hall,  one  hundred  by  sixty-seven  feet,  and  a  hospital  of  six- 
teen rooms  were  erected.  These  were  followed  by  the  erection,  in 
1874  and  1875,  of  the  school  and  chapel  building,  containing 
twenty-eight  school-rooms  and  an  auditorium  capable  of  seating 
a  company  of  twelve  hundred  persons.  This  building  has  been 
pronounced  by  competent  judges  one  of  the  best  school-houses 
in  the  country.  Of  the  dining-hall  it  is  an  almost  universal  remai'k 
that  it  is  one  of  the  most  satisfactory  and  pleasing  anywhere  to  be 
found. 

In  1877  the  present  industrial  building,  with  ample  room  for 
schools  of  printing,  cabinet-making  (with  use  of  planing  mill,  cir- 
cular and  scroll  saw,  with  lathes  for  wood-turning),  shoemaking, 
and  a  machine  shop  and  gardener's  room  and  engine  and  other 
steam  machinery,  was  erected.  During  the  year  1879  a  large  and 
well-equipped  laundry  was  built.  . 

In  the  year  1881  spacious  horse- barns,  and  a  cottage  for  boys, 
a  store,  bakery  and  library  were  constructed  and  occupied.  In 


51 

1883  a  large  dairy  barn  was  built,  and  in  1884  a  splendid  kitchen 
and  a  cold  storage  plant  were  erected;  in  1886  a  gymnasium,  nata- 
torium  and  drill  hall  and  a  cottage  for  little  girls  were  built;  in 
1888  and  1889  the  electric  light  plant  was  extended  through  the 
entire  institution,  extensive  street  improvements  were  made  and 
the  grounds  improved  and  extended;  in  1891  a  farm  was  pur- 
chased for  the  use  of  the  institution,  and  the  heating  plant 
enlarged. 

Thus  it  is  seen  that  the  institution  has  been  from  its  founding 
in  1839  an  almost  constant  scene  of  building  and  extension.  The 
improvements  since  the  year  1855  have  all  been  of  a  substantial  and 
durable  character,  designed  in  the  light  of  experience  for  the  uses 
to  which  they  were  to  be  applied.  Elaborate  ornamentation  has 
been  avoided  in  all  of  them,  yet  all  are  handsome  and  tasteful. 
The  buildings  comprise  twenty  in  number  and  occupy  fifteen  acres 
of  ground.  They  have  a  mile  and  a  half  of  cornice,  eighteen  acres 
of  plastering,  eight  acres  of  flooring,  fifteen  hundred  windows  and 
seven  hundred  doors.  A  thousand  electric  light  lamps  are  used  for 
their  lighting;  seven  large  steam  boilers,  with  several  miles  of 
steam  pipe,  are  a  part  of  their  heating  apparatus.  The  boilers  are 
also  used  in  culinary  operations  and  furnish  power  for  driving  the 
machinery,  which  consists  of  a  planing-mill,  three  turning  lathes,  a 
circular  saw  and  a  scroll  saw  in  the  cabinet  shop;  an  engine  lathe, 
a  pipe  machine  and  a  small  lathe  in  the  machine  shop;  three  presses 
in  the  printing  office;  five  washing  machines,  a  hydro  extractor, 
a  laundry  callender,  a  shirt  ironer  and  a  Sturtevant  blower  in  the 
laundry;  a  rotary  oven  and  two  cracker  machines  in  the  bakery. 

Until  the  year  1868  the  sign  system  was  the  one  pursued  in  this 
institution  in  the  instruction  of  its  pupils.  That  is  to  say,  not  that 
signs  themselves  were  taught,  but  that  in  explanation  of  principles 
and  truths,  or  the  narration  of  events,  and  in  ordinary  conversation 
with  the  pupils  the  language  of  signs  or  gestures  was  used  exten- 
sively and  its  use  encouraged.  At  the  same  time  it  had  always 
been  the  case  that  much  use  was  made  of  writing  and  finger  spell- 
ing, while  comparatively  little  attention  was  given  to  articulation 
and  lip  signs.  For  be  it  remembered  that  for  a  deaf  person  there 
can  be  no  articulation  though  there  is  articulation  by  him.  Articu- 
lation or  speech  is  a  combination  of  sounds.  It  is  as  absurd  to 
speak  of  seeing  a  sound  or  reading  speech,  as  of  hearing  a  color. 
The  deaf  person  can  produce  the  sounds  but  can  not  hear  them. 


52 

To  him  they  are  as  unreal  as  if  they  did  not  exist.  Hence  he  is 
forced  to  substitute  vision  for  hearing.  A  sign  is  a  distinctive 
guiding  indication  to  the  eye,  whether  made  by  the  hand,  the  arms, 
the  body,  the  countenance  or  the  lips.  A  spoken  word  is  a  distinct- 
ive guiding  indication  to  the  ear.  That  which  is  sometimes  termed 
speech-reading  is  but  the  observation  of  lip,  movements  or  lip  signs 
much  less  distinct  than  manual  or  brachial  signs.  As  one  who 
understands  several  languages  will  use  the  one  which  pleases  and 
aids  him  most,  so  the  deaf  person  will  use  such  class  of  signs  as  is 
most  satisfactory  to  him.  Signs  made  with  the  hands  and  arms, 
aided  by  the  countenance,  being  more  perspicuous,  and  often  ideo- 
graphic, the  deaf  person,  if  left  to  himself,  will  almost  universally 
adopt.  Hence  it  is  that  children  who  lose  hearing  after  speech  has 
been  acquired  cease  to  talk  and  will  not  resume  it  until  special 
efforts  are  taken  to  induce  them  to  do  so.  To  impart  speech  to  one 
who  does  not  hear,  or  for  such  an  one  to  acquire  speech,  is  one  of 
the  most  difficult  undertakings  to  which  a  human  being  can  address 
himself,  for  he  possesses  only  half  of  the  organ  of  speech  since  the 
organ  of  hearing  is  as  important  an  element  in  speech  as  the  organ 
of  voice.  There  is  no  speech  of  any  race  of  men  independent  of  the 
sense  of  hearing. 

In  that  large  class  of  persons  commonly  known  in  the  community 
as  deaf-mutes,  there  are  several  divisions,  whose  conditions  are 
quite  unlike :  1st,  those  whose  deafness  is  congenital,  or  supervened 
before  speech  had  been  learned;  2d,  those  whose  deafness  was  ac- 
quired after  they  had  learned  to  talk  but  at  so  early  an  age  that 
their  memory  of  speech  is  indistinct ;  3d,  those  who  became  deaf  so 
late  that  they  retain  a  distinct  recollection  of  speech ;  4th,  those 
whose  deafness  is  only  partial.  The  third  and  fourth  of  these 
divisions  can,  with  comparative  ease,  use  vocal  utterance,  though 
the  fourth  experience  much  less  difficulty  in  reading  the  lip-signs 
of  others.  Many  of  the  second  and  a  few  of  the  first  division  can 
learn  to  speak,  though  all  of  the  first  and  second  divisions  expe- 
rience difficulty  in  reading  the  lip-signs  of  others.  Just  which 
members  of  these  classes  will  be  successful  articulators  and  lip- 
readers  no  one  can  know  until  an  opportunity  is  given  all  of  them  to 
test  their  ability.  In  the  year  1868  classes  in  articulation  and  lip- 
reading  were  organized  in  this  institution,  and  have  been  continued 
to  the  present  time.  The  practice  of  the  institution  is  to  test  all 
pupils  who  are  admitted,  to  learn  who  give  promise  of  success  in 


53 

these  classes,  and  continue  such  in  them  during  their  continuance 
in  the  institution.  Some  meet  with  very  gratifying  success  while 
others  but  poorly  repay  the  great  labor  involved  in  their  instruction. 
Many  enter  upon  it  with  avidity  which  some  maintain  to  the  end, 
but  others,  after  a  time,  importune  to  be  excused  from  articulation 
classes,  urging  that  it  is  a  lifeless,  uninteresting  procedure  to  them. 
The  testimony  of  many  of  their  friends  as  to  its  value  to  them 
when  away  from  the  institution  is  very  encouraging,  but  some  par- 
ents think  it  labor  in  vain  and  request  its  discontinuance  with  their 
children.  In  the  estimation  of  the  public  generally  it  is  regarded 
as  marvelous,  and  calls  to  mind  the  time  of  the  Savior  of  mankind 
to  whom 

"  The  blind,  the  deaf,  the  dumb  were  brought 
Lepers  and  lame,  and  all  were  healed." 

This  department  of  the  institution  has  been  continuously  ex- 
tended until  there  are  now  eight  instructors  whose  sole  duty  is 
to  teach  articulation  and  lip-reading. 

As  this  was  the  first  of  the  State  institutions  of  Illinois,  which 
have  become  so  numerous,  and  whose  support  involves  so  large  an 
expenditure  in  recent  years,  comprising  more  than  half  the  annual 
expenditures  provided  for  by  the  General  Assembly,  it  will  not  be  a 
matter  of  surprise  that  there  have  been  a  number  of  changes  in  the 
law  governing  its  support  and  management.  The  act  of  incorpora- 
tion approved  February  23,  1839,  empowered  the  directors,  twenty 
in  number,  to  fill  all  vacancies  in  their  own  body,  whether  occurring 
by  death,  resignation  or  otherwise.  The  Board  exercised  this  pre- 
rogative until  the  year  1849,  when  by  an  act  approved  February  3d, 
the  number  of  directors  was  reduced  to  twelve,  to  be  appointed  by 
the  Governor  for  the  term  of  two  years,  exclusive  of  the  principal, 
who  was  to  continue  as  a  director,  with  the  provision  that  vacancies 
occurring  between  the  biennial  appointments  made  by  the  Governor 
should  be  filled  by  the  Board  of  Directors  themselves.  Under  these 
two  acts  alwavs  a  majority  and  much  of  the  time  all  the  directors 
were  residents  of  Morgan  county.  An  act  of  February  12,  1853, 
provided  that  the  directors  should  be  divided  into  three  classes  of 
four,  each  holding  office  for  six  years,  exclusive  of  the  principal, 
who  was  continued  ex  officio  a  member  of  the  Board,  it  being  en- 
acted that  a  majority  of  the  members  of  the  Board  should  reside 
without  the  county  of  Morgan.  February  13,  1857,  following  the 
dissensions  already  referred  to,  the  General  Assembly  reduced  the 


54 

number  of  directors  to  six,  exclusive  of  the  principal,  who  was  con- 
tinued ex  officio  a  member  of  the  Board,  no  two  of  whom  should  be 
residents  of  the  same  county,  with  a  provision  that  no  member  of 
the  Board  should  be  employed  or  appointed  in  or  to  any  office  or 
place  under  the  authority  of  the  Board,  or  should  be  directly  or  in- 
directly interested  in  any  contract  to  be  made  by  said  Board  for 
any  purpose  whatever. 

This  law  continued  in  force  till  April  9,  1869,  when  this  insti- 
tution, with  all  the  others  belonging  to  or  sustained  in  whole  or  in 
part  by  the  State,  were  brought  under  the  operation  of  one  act 
intended  to  unify  the  institutional  work  of  the  State  government. 
This  last  act  and  one  supplemental  to  it,  approved  April  15,  1875, 
still  in  force,  are  founded  in  wisdom.  The  population  and  resources 
and  improvements  of  the  State  of  Illinois  for  three  decades  had 
been  growing  with  unexampled  rapidity.  Along  with  this  growth 
was  a  large  increase  of  those  classes  of  people  found  in  all  times 
and  races,  who  by  some  physical  or  mental  impairment  require  un- 
usual means  of  instruction,  treatment  or  care.  The  humane  and 
enlightened  influences  of  the  people  of  the  State  kept  pace  with  the 
necessities  of  the  times.  The  consequence  was  that  the  little  Asy- 
lum for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb,  chartered  in  1839  and  opened  in  1846 
with  four  deaf-mutes,  had  been  followed  by  others,  one  at  a  time, 
until  at  the  end  of  thirty  years  after  the  first  legislative  action  they 
numbered  thirteen,  and  their  inmates  were  counted  by  the  thousand 
with  the  outlook  indicating  that  an  increase  of  institutions  and  a 
large  increase  of  their  inmates  were  inevitable  in  the  not  remote 
future.  Each  of  the  institutions  existed  by  virtue  of  enactments 
peculiar  to  itself,  no  two  of  them  being  very  similar,  and  their  man- 
agement as  dissimilar  as  the  laws  bringing  them  into  existence;  of 
course  there  would  inevitably  be  confusion  if  not  conflict  of  interest 
from  so  many  institutions  in  various  localities  throughout  the  State. 
It  would  not  be  considered  at  all  strange  if  under  such  circum- 
stances the  managers  of  the  institutions  felt  themselves  invited  to 
the  exercise  of  such  adroit  expedients  as  they  deemed  not  improper 
for  advancement  of  their  several  institutions.  The  systems  of  keep- 
ing accounts  were  so  diverse  that  the  citizen  desiring  to  ascertain 
correct  information  as  to  the  use  of  public  funds  appropriated  to 
the  various  institutions  could  do  so  only  with  difficulty. 

The  Acts  of  1869  and  1875  embodied  as  much  practical  wisdom 
as  any  that  can  be  found  in  any  one  of  the  United  States;  it  has  not, 


57 

in  this  respect,  been  surpassed  by  the  act  of  any  other  state  since  its 
enactment,  while  it  has  been  copied  by  many.  Their  adjustment 
of  prerogatives  and  responsibilities  between  the  boards  of  the  re- 
spective institutions,  and  a  board  having  powers  of  inspection,  sug- 
gestion and  recommendation,  but  no  administrative  power,  styled 
the  Board  of  Charities  assures  to  the  respective  institutions  all  the 
advantages  of  the  interest  of  its  own  board,  and  secures  for  it  the 
advantage  of  frequent  intelligent  inspection,  and  regular  .times  of 
accounting  for  all  expenditures.  There  is  nothing  more  important 
for  a  public  officer  than  the  performance  of  this  service  often,  regu- 
larly and  systematically.  It  is  the  popular  impression  that  the 
public  interest  demands  this,  but  the  officer  himself  is  as  much 
interested  therein  as  the  public.  Another  eminently  wise  provision 
of  this  law  is  the  one  that  members  of  the  local  boards  and  the 
Board  of  Charities  shall  serve  without  compensation,  the  result  of 
this  being  that  the  trusteeships  are  not  sought  after  for  mercenary 
reasons,  and  honorable  high-minded  men,  actuated  by  a  desire  to 
advance  noble,  humane  and  educational  enterprises,  are  chosen  for 
members  of  all  the  boards.  There  can  always  be  found  such  men 
in  a  community  such  as  constitutes  the  population  of  Illinois. 
The  character  and  wisdom  of  the  members  of  these  boards  for  the 
last  twenty-three  years  is  aptly  illustrated  by  their  reports.  No 
more  reliable,  just  and  true  compendium  of  the  relations  of  the  de- 
fective classes  to  the  public  and  the  obligations  of  the  public  to 
to  them  can  anywhere  be  found  than  is  contained  in  the  eleven  bi- 
ennial reports  of  the  Illinois  Board  of  Public  Charities.  Their  dis- 
cussions and  conclusions  will  be  dissented  from  by  different  per- 
sons, and  especially  experts  in  various  departments  of  institutional 
work,  but  these  reports  will  surely  stand  as  acknowledged  author- 
ity upon  the  subjects  they  treat  upon,  and  an  honor  to  the  members 
of  that  Board  and  their  able  Secretary,  Mr.  F.  H.  Wines,  who  has 
prepared  them. 

That  the  system  of  institutional  management  tends  to  induce  if 
not  to  cause  controversy  on  projected  improvements  and  methods 
can  not  be  denied,  but  controversy,  when  conducted  by  earnest,  sin- 
cere and  capable  disputants,  can  only  result  in  good.  The  proper, 
eager  interest  of  one  whose  life- thought  and  work  has  been  given  to  a 
particular  enterprise  may  preclude  him  from  duly  recognizing  the 
just  claims  of  others,  and  his  schemes  for  future  development  may, 
for  this  reason,  all  the  more  fittingly  be  carefully  scrutinized  by 


58 

wise  and  discriminating  persons  who  sustain  advisory  relations  to 
many  others.  That  there  have  been  sharp  differences  between  the 
officers  of  this  institution  and  the  Board  of  Charities  upon  the  wis- 
dom of  proposed  policies,  and  animated  discussions  upon  them  is 
true,  but,  as  should  always  be  the  case  with  high-minded  men  after 
the  questions  at  issue  were  settled  and  the  "  smoke  of  the  contest 
had  cleared  away,"  no  personal  animosities  remained,  and  the  gen- 
eral good  had  been  advanced.  All  the  operations  of  both  the  boards 
have  been  conducted  with  a  view  upon  the  part  of  each  to  do  the 
best  possible.  The  pleasant  working  of  this  system,  so  far  as  this 
institution  is  concerned,  has  been  largely  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
members  of  both  boards  were  men  of  honor,  entirely  above  influ- 
ence of  partisan  or  personal  considerations.  Only  men  of  such 
character  are  suitable  for  such  trusts.  The  State  of  Illinois  may 
be  congratulated  that  its  executives  have  so  wisely  exercised  their 
appointive  power. 

The  subject  of  a  library  for  the  use  of  the  pupils  and  the  officers 
of  the  institution  received  no  attention  worth  naming  in  the  first 
years  of  its  ^existence.  Some  regard  was  had  to  it  in  thesecondxlec- 
ade  of  the  institution,  but  it  was  not  until  the  year  1870  thaOhe 
subject  was  systematically  and  energetically  taken  in  hand.  At 
every  session  of  the  General  Assembly  since  that,  the  subject  has 
been  presented,  with  an  application  for  a  small  appropriation  to^be 
used  in  this  way.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  say  that  this  has  met  with 
the  most  ready  and  hearty  approval  of  every  session  of  that  hon- 
orable body.  An  annual  appropriation  of  five  hundred  dollars,  for 
the  purchase  of  books  and  repairs  of  the  old  and  worn  ones,  has 
been  made.  A  judicious  use  of  the  money,  with  the  trade  discounts, 
has  brought  together  a  collection  of  over  thirteen  thousand  volumes, 
which  are  among  the  best  productions  of  ancient  and  modern  times. 
The  greatest  care  has  been  exercised  in  the  selection  of  these  books 
to  secure  the  works  of  the  best  authors.  The  departments  of  his- 
tory, poetry,  fiction,  travel,  science,  biography  and  art,  with  the  best 
encyclopedias  and  other  books  of  reference  are  each  quite  full. 
Nothing  tends  more  to  give  an  institution  a  good  uplift  than  a  good 
library.  Its  influence  is  not  ephemeral  but  far  reaching,  affecting 
the  taste  and  habits  of  the  pupils  to  the  remotest  periods  of  their 
lives,  keeping  them  upon  a  higher  plane  than  they  would,  without 
it,  ever  have  attained.  The  love  of  good  books  is  one  of  the  most 


59 

enobling  traits  that  any  one  can  possess,  but  to  a  deaf  person  it  is 
of  far  greater  importance  than  to  any  other  person. 

Since  the  commencement  of  the  school  there  have  been  two 
thousand,  three  hundred  and  eleven  pupils  enrolled,  of  whom  one 
thousand,  three  hundred  and  seventeen  are  males,  and  nine  hun- 
dred and  ninety-four  are  females.  They  were  members  of  two 
thousand  and  sixty-one  families.  In  one  family  there  were  six 
deaf-mutes.  In  seven  families  there  were  four  deaf-mutes.  In 
fifty- four  families  there  were  three  deaf-mutes.  In  one  hundred 
and  fifteen  families  there  were  two  deaf-mutes.  In  one  thousand, 
eight  hundred  and  twenty-nine  families  there  was  one  deaf-mute. 

Though  there  are,  doubtless,  some  of  whom  the  fact  has  not 
been  learned,  yet  one  hundred  and  ten  of  the  pupils  enrolled  have 
been  reported  as  the  offspring  of  parents  of  consanguineous  origin 
as  follows: 

79  children  of  first  cousins. 
12  children  of  second  cousins. 
11  children  of  third  cousins. 

8  children  of  fourth  cousins. 

1  the  grandchild  of  first  cousins. 

1  the  child  of  uncle  and  niece. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  in  families  where  the  parents  were 
first  cousins  in  one  case  there  were  four  deaf-mutes;  in  three  cases 
there  were  three  deaf-mutes;  in  seven  cases  there  were  two  deaf- 
mutes.  In  families  where  the  parents  were  second  cousins  in  one 
case  there  were  three  deaf-mutes;  and  in  one  there  were  two  deaf- 
mutes.  In  families  where  the  parents  were  third  cousins  in  one 
case  there  were  three  deaf-mutes,  and  in  two  there  were  two  deaf- 
mutes.  In  families  where  the  parents  were  fourth  cousins  in  one 
case  there  were  four  deaf-mutes,  and  in  one  case  there  were  three 
deaf-mutes. 


The  deaf-mute  relationships  reported   among  the  2,255  pupils 
enrolled  (though  there  are  probably  others)  are  as  follows: 


CASES. 

Father  and  mother 8 

Father,  mother  and  brother  2 

Father,  mother  and  two  grandparents l 

Father,  mother  and  two  brothers,  two  uncles 

and  two  aunts l 

Father,  mother,  brother,  sister,  two  uncles 

and  two  aunts —  2 

Father,  mother,  uncle  and  two  grandparents  1 

Father,  mother,  aunt  and  half-uncle l 

Father,  grandfather  and  uncle 1 

Father  and  brother 1 

Father  and  sister 1 

Father,  uncle  and  aunt 1 

Mother 1 

One  brother 101 

Two  brothers i.0 

Three  brothers 3 

Two  brothers  and  sister 9 

One  brother  and  one  sister 52 

One  brother  and  two  sisters 8 

One  brother  and  half-sister 3 

Two  brothers  and  one  sister 1 

Three  brothers  and  two  sisters l 

One  half-brother 3 

Three  brothers  and  sister 3 

Four  brothers  and  one  sister 2 

One  half-brother  and  half-sister 1 

One  half-brother  and  sister 1 

Brother,  sister  and  two  grandparents 2 

Brother,  sister  and  uncle 2 

Brother,  uncle  and  aunt l 

One  brother  and  one  great-uncle 3 

One  brother,  two  sisters  and  one  second 

cousin 1 

Two  brothers  and  one  uncle 1 

Two  brothers  and  third  cousin 3 

One  brother  and  three  third  cousins 2 

One  brother  and  one  second  cousin l 

One  brother  and  two  cousins 2 

One  brother  and  three  cousins 2 

Two  brothers  and  one  cousin 1 

Two  brothers  and  three  cousins 2 

One  brother,  one  sister  and  three  cousins. . .  2 

One  brother  and  one  cousin 1 

One  brother  and  two  second  cousins l 

One  brother,  one  sister,  one  uncle  and  two 

aunts 5 

One  brother,  two  sisters,  one  uncle  and  two 

aunts .  3 


CASES. 

Two  brothers,  one  sister,  two  uncles  and 

four  aunts 3 

One  brother,  one  sister  and  cousin 3 

One  brother,  one  sister  and  second  cousin..  2 

Two  brothers  and  two  cousins i 

One  half-brother  and  one  sister l 

One  brother  and  one  niece i 

One  brother,  one  great-uncle  and  one  great- 
aunt i 

One  brother  and  one  fourth  cousin 3 

One  brother  and  one  great-uncle l 

One  sister 92 

Two  sisters 24 

Three  sisters 2 

One  sister  and  one  cousin i 

One  sister  and  one  second  eousin 3 

One  sister  and  one  third  cousin 2 

One  sister  and  one  fourth  cousin l 

One  sister  and  two  second  cousins l 

Two  sisters  and  two  second  cousins 2 

Two  sisters  and  two  great-grandparents ...  1 

One  sister  and  one  great-uncle l 

One  sister,  one  great-uncle  and  one  great- 
aunt l 

One  cousin 57 

Three  cousins ....'. 6 

Five  cousins l 

One  second  cousin 15 

Two  second  cousins 8 

Four  second  cousins 2 

One  third  cousin 7 

Two  third  cousins 2 

One  fourth  cousin 2 

One  cousin  and  three  second  cousins 1 

One  second  cousin  and  one  third  cousin 1 

Three  second  cousins l 

Two  fourth  cousins 1 

One  uncle 1 

One  uncle  and  one  great-uncle 1 

One  uncle  and  two  aunts 1 

One  uncle  and  one  niece 1 

Two  uncles  and  one  aunt. l 

One  great-uncle 1 

Two  great-granduncles 1 

One  niece 1 

Two  nephews  and  one  niece 1 

One  aunt 2 

Two  groat-aunts 1 

One  niece 1 


63 


The  assigned  causes  of  deafness  supervening  after  birth  have 
been  reported  by  friends,  usually  the  parents,  to  be  as  follows: 


C  erebro-spinal  meningitis 347 

Scarlet  fever...  159 

Brain  fever 114 

Sickness  (not  specified) 93 

Fever 60 

Gathering  in  head 65 

Typhoid  fever  58 

Measles 57 

Cold 33 

Fall 31 

Inflammation  of  the  brain 28 

Whooping  cough 24 

Spasms 21 

Catarrh 20 

Diphtheria 16 

Quinine 17 

Congestion  of  the  brain 13 

Dropsy  of  the  brain 11 

Lung  fever , 10 

Scrofula 10 

Inflammation  of  the  ear 10 

Bilious  fever 9 

Mumps 8 

Winter  fever 8 

Teething 7 

Nervous  fever 6 

Spinal  fever 5 

Disease  of  the  ear 5 

Congestive  chill 6 

Paralysis 4 

Catarrhal  fever 5 

Disease  of  the  ear 4 

Pneumonia 4 

Cholera  infantum 4 

Fright 5 

Sore  mouth 4 

Erysipelas  4 

Intermittent  fever 4 

Fall  into  water 4 

Eemitting  fever 2 

Congestion  of  the  spine 2 

Sunstroke 2 

Malarial  fever 2 

Cramps 2 

Seasickness ...  .2 


Small-pox 2 

Cold  water 

Stroke  on  the  head , 

Hemorrhage 

Pernicious  fever 

Heat... 


Sprain 

Chicken-pox 

Bronchitis 

Typhus  fever 

Bronchial  affection 

Shingles 

Worm  fever 

Clap  of  thunder 

Water  on  brain '. 

Collection  in  ear 

Kidney  disease 

Congestive  fever 

Jaundice 

Cancer    

Absence  of  external  ear  and  aural  orifice. .. 

Perforation  of  tympanum 

Lye 


i 

1 

1 

1 

1. 

1 

I 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

i 
i 
i 
i 
r 
i. 
i 
i 
i 
r 
i 
i 
t 
i 
i 
i' 
i 
t 
i 
i 
> 
i. 
i 
i 
i 

Influenza 1 

Salt  in  ear 1 

Concussion  of  the  brain 1 

Vomiting 1 

Inflammation  of  bowels 1 

Cough 1 


Cold  plague 

Scald 

Ague 

Apoplexy 

Drinking  lye 

Swelling  in  head . 

Fall  on  stove 

Scald  head 

Burn... 


Chill 

Pneumonitis 

Rickets 

Cholera 

Shock  of  lightning. 

Weakness 

Cramp 


64 


A  cause  inducing  congenital  deafness  which  does  not  appear  on 
the  foregoing  list  is  one  upon  which,  from  its  peculiar  nature,  it  IB 
exceedingly  difficult  to  obtain  information.  Eeference  is  here  made 
to  prenatal  impressions,  popularly  known  as  birthmarks.  As  oppor- 
tunity has  favored,  inquiries  have  been  made  of  parents  with  refer- 
ence to  this,  causing  the  persuasion  that  it  is  an  active  cause,  and 
may  account  for  many  cases  of  deafness  otherwise  inexplicable. 

The  ages  at  which  deafness  has  occurred,  as  far  as  information 
has  been  furnished,  have  been  as  follows: 


CASES. 

Congenital 602 

Undertone  year 302 

At  one  year 219 

At  two  years 226 

At  three  years 131 

At  four  years 86 

At  flve^years 63 

At  six  years 35 

At  seven  years 39 

At  eight  years 19 


CASES. 

At  nine  years 11 

At  ten  years 16 

At  eleven  years 14 

At  twelve  years 4 

At  thirteen  years 11 

At  fourteen  years 11 

At  fifteen  years i 

At  sixteen  years i 

At  seventeen  years i 

At  twenty  years i 


The  reports  received  of  pupils  who  have  passed  through  the  in- 
stitution and  are  engaged  in  the  battle  of  life  are  of  a  very  gratify- 
ing nature.  They  are  in  a  great  variety  of  occupations,  including 
the  clergy,  teachers,  artists,  farmers,  book-keepers,  mercantile  and 
all  the  mechanic  arts.  Thirty-three  of  them  are  known  to  have 
been  engaged  as  teachers  in  schools  for  the  deaf.  An  extended  ac- 
count of  their  successes  and  difficulties  might  be  written,  but  pres- 
ent limits  will  not  admit.  Their  position  in  society  is  such  that 
they  enjoy  the  universal  respect  and  esteem  of  the  community 
wherein  they  reside.  As  heads  of  families  many  of  them  are  rear- 
ing excellent  and  well-ordered  households,  bringing  their  children 
up  to  a  condition  of  usefulness  and  respectability  thaf  is  quite  equal, 
if  it  does  not  surpass  that  of  the  average  in  society  at  large.  Their 
intermarriage  has  been  promotive  of  their  happiness  and  comfort, 
and  has  not  tended  to  the  multiplication  of  deaf-mutes,  as  may  be 
seen  by  a  careful  study  of  the  preceding  table  of  pupils. 

The  institution  is  an  honor  to  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  has  re- 
paid manifold  all  that  has  been  expended  in  its  upbuilding  and 
support. 


BRIEF    HISTORY 


ILLINOIS    INSTITUTION 


EDUCATION   OF  THE   BLIND, 


LOCATED   AT 


JACKSONVILLE,    ILL. 


1849-1893. 


Presented  by  the  ILLINOIS  BOARD  OF  WORLD'S 
FAIR  COMMISSIONERS. 


JOHN  MORRIS  COMPANY,  PRINTERS, 

118  AND  120  MONROE  STREET, 
CHICAGO. 


SAMUEL  BACON  (Blind). 
1849-1850. 

W.  S.  PHILLIPS. 
1588-1890. 


DR.  JOSHUA  EHOADS, 

1850-1874. 


KEY.  F.  W.  PHILLIPS. 

1874-1888. 


FRANK  H.  HALL, 

1890-1893. 


HISTORY 

OF  THE 

ILLINOIS  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  EDUCATION  OF  THE 

BLIND. 

LOCATED    AT    JACKSONVILLE. 


The  question  is  often  asked,  "  How  did  it  happen  that  three  of 
the  twelve  State  Charitable  Institutions  were  located  at  Jackson- 
ville?" Briefly  the  answer  is  in  the  character  and  ability  of  the 
early  settlers  of  that  city.  Here  were  men  who  were  not  only  ex- 
ceptionally capable  in  the  management  of  affairs  but  who  were 
deeply  interested  in  every  public  enterprise;  who  abounded  in  good 
works — religious,  political,  educational,  and  philanthropic. 

A  leader  in  benevolent  and  educational  enterprises,  was  Judge 
Samuel  D.  Lockwood  whose  home  was  in  Morgan  county  from  1829 
to  1853.  His  name  appears  as  a  member  of  the  first  Board  of  Trust- 
ees of  every  state  institution  in  Jacksonville,  and  to  him,  perhaps, 
as  much  as  to  any  other  man,  is  that  city  indebted  for  the  location 
of  these  institutions  within  its  borders.  Associated  with  Judge 
Lockwood  in  philanthropic  and  educational  effort  were  Judge  Will- 
iam Thomas,  Col.  J.  J.  Hardin,  Dennis  Rockwell,  Col.  James 
Dunlap,  Judge  James  Berdan,  Dr.  David  Prince,  William  W. 
Happy,  Gov.  Richard  Yates,  Joseph  Morton,  Samuel  Hunt,  Dr. 
Nathaniel  English,  Joseph  O.  King,  Matthew  Stacy,  Julian  M. 
Sturtevaut,  Dr.  Samuel  Adams,  and  Gov.  Joseph  Duncan.  Had 
these  men  settled  in  Peoria  county  or  in  Madison  county  instead  of 
Morgan  county,  it  is  altogether  probable  that  Jacksonville  would 
not  have  secured  for  itself  in  a  period  of  twenty  years  (1830  to  1850) 
Illinois  College,  The  Female  Academy,  Illinois  Female  College, 
Illinois  Institution  for  the  Education  of  the  Deaf  and  Dumb,  Illi- 
nois Hospital  for  the  Insane,  and  Illinois  Institution  for  the  Educa- 
tion of  the  Blind. 


THE  DEAF  AND  DUMB. 

In  the  winter  of  1838-39,  Hon.  Orville  H.  Browning  of  Quincy, 
Illinois,  prepared  and  introduced  into  the  General  Assembly  of 
Illinois,  a  bill  for  an  act  to  establish  the  "Illinois  Asylum  (now  In- 
stitution) for  the  Education  of  the  Deaf  and  Dumb."  This  bill 
passed  the  Senate  without  a  dissenting  Voice;  passed  the  House  of 
Representatives  by  a  large  majority,  and  was  approved  by  Gov. 
Thomas  Carlin,  February  23,  1839.  In  securing  the  passage  of 
this  bill,  Judge  Browning  was  ably  assisted  by  Hon.  William 
Thomas,  Hon.  Newton  Cloud,  and  Col.  J.  J.  Hardin,  of  Morgan 
county.  Presumably  through  their  efforts,  the  school  was  located 
at  Jacksonville.  The  "  Asylum  "  was  not  opened  for  the  reception 
of  pupils  until  December  1,  1845.  and  no  pupils  were  enrolled  until 
January  26,  1846.  This  was  the  first  of  the  great  State  Charitable 
Institutions  of  Illinois,  provided  for  by  legislative  enactment,  and 
the  first  to  open  its  doors  to  the  unfortunate. 

THE  INSANE. 

In  response  to  a  most  eloquent  appeal  made  by  the  sainted  Do- 
rothea Dix,  a  bill  for  an  act  to  establish  the  "Illinois  Hospital  for 
the  Insane  "  passed  both  houses  of  the  General  Assembly  with 
little  opposition.  It  received  the  signature  of  Gov.  Augustus  C. 
French,  March  1,  1847.  The  second  section  of  this  act  named  nine 
gentlemen,  all  residents  of  Morgan  county,  as  trustees.  On  March 
20,  1847,  the  Board  organized,  electing  Judge  Lockwood  as  Presi- 
dent, and  soon  after  agreed  upon  a  site  for  the  location  of  the 
Hospital  about  one  mile  south  of  the  Court  House  in  Jacksonville. 
The  first  patient  was  received  from  McLean  county,  November  3, 
1851. 

What  is  now  known  as  the  Illinois  Central  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane was  the  second  of  the  great  State  Charitable  Institutions  of 
Illinois,  to  be  provided  for  by  law,  but  as  will  appear  from  what  fol- 
lows, the  third  to  open  its  doors  for  the  reception  of  inmates. 

THE    BLIND. 

In  the  summer  of  1847,  Samuel  Bacon,  who  had  just  graduated 
from  the  Ohio  Institution  for  the  Instruction  of  the  Blind  at  Colum- 
bus and  who  had  been  employed  there  during  the  previous  year  as 
a  "pupil  teacher,"  determined  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  West. 
Accordingly  he  embarked  at  Cincinnati  with  the  intention  of  going 


to  Galena,  Illinois.  While  on  the  steamboat  below  St.  Louis,  he 
became  acquainted  with  a  gentleman  from  Southern  Illinois  who 
was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  then  in  session  at 
Springfield.  By  him  Mr.  Bacon  was  informed  that  a  large  building 
was  about  to  be  erected  in  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  in  which,  when 
completed,  a  school  for  the  blind  was  to  be  opened.  Thinking  that 
he  might  obtain  employment  as  a  teacher  in  the  new  institution,  he 
turned  his  course  toward  Morgan  county  and  arrived  at  Jackson- 
ville, August  12,  1847.  Here  he  learned  that  the  supposed  insti- 
tution for  the  blind  was  a  hospital  for  the  insane. 

Mr.  Bacon  remained  several  days  in  Jacksonville  during  which 
time  he  met  Mr.  John  W.  Lathrop  and  by  him  was  introduced  to 
Dr.  English,  Judge  Lock  wood,  Judge  Berdan,  Dennis  Rockwell, 
and  others,  by  whom  he  was  encouraged  to  attempt  the  establish- 
ment of  a  school  for  the  blind. 

Concerning  the  visit  of  Mr.  Bacon  to  Jacksonville,  Mr.  Lathrop 
relates  several  interesting  incidents.  On  one  occasion  Mr.  Bacon 
was  in  Mr.  Lathrop' s  store  in  consultation  with  Judge  Lock  wood, 
Dennis  Rockwell,  and  others.  A  gentleman  entered  who  desired 
to  pay  a  note  the  amount  of  which  was  at  that  time  due  Mr.  Lathrop. 
The  note  was  produced  and  read  in  an  undertone,  but  loud  enough 
for  the  sensitive  ear  of  a  blind  man  to  hear  every  word.  The  note 
bore  an  endorsement  indicating  that  one  partial  payment  had  been 
made.  "  What  is  the  legal  rate  of  interest  in  Illinois?"  inquired 
Mr.  Bacon.  "  Ten  per  cent.,"  replied  the  holder  of  the  note,  and 
before  Mr.  Lathrop  with  paper  and  pencil  could  solve  the  problem 
presented,  the  blind  man  named  the  amount  due  which  proved  to 
be  correct  to  a  cent. 

Mr.  Bacon  inquired  if  there  were  any  blind  persons  in  the  vicin- 
ity. On  being  informed  that  there  was  a  family  near  Lynnville, 
eight  miles  distant,  in  which  were  one  or  two  blind  children,  he 
immediately  declared  his  intention  of  visiting  them,  and  that  he 
would  go  at  once.  Judge  Lock  wood  suggested  that  without  doubt 
he  would  find  an  opportunity  to  ride  to  Lyunville  within  two  or  three 
days.  He  assured  the  Judge  that  he  would  rather  walk  than  wait 
one  day ;  and  as  soon  as  he  could  obtain  the  necessary  directions,  he 
started  on  his  midday  journey  in  the  dark,  afoot  and  alone.  He  reached 
Lynnville  before  sunset,  spent  the  night  with  Mr.  Hays  the  father 
of  the  blind  children,  and  returned  alone  to  Jacksonville  next 
morning. 


Soon  after  this  Mr.  Bacon  visited  Springfield.  The  constitu- 
tional Convention  was  still  in  session  and  he  had  the  opportunity  of 
meeting  many  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  state.  On  all  proper 
occasions  he  urged  the  necessity  of  a  school  for  the  blind  of  Illi- 
nois. From  Judge  William  Thomas  of  Morgan  county,  who  was 
a  member  of  the  Convention  and  also  at  that  time  one  of  the  trus- 
tees of  each  of  the  two  state  institutions  already  located  in  Jackson- 
ville, he  received  some  encouragement,  although  coupled  with  the 
remark  that  it  would  require  a  very  skillful  and  persistent  effort  to 
succeed. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  at  this  time  the  state  was  just  emerg- 
ing from  a  period  of  very  great  financial  embarrassment.  In  1841 
Illinois  state  bonds  declined  to  fourteen  cents  on  the  dollar,  and  it 
was  many  years  after  this  before  the  Auditor's  warrants  were  always 
worth  the  amount  named  on  their  face. 

To  interest  an  already  overburdened  people  in  the  education  of 
the  blind  to  the  extent  that  they  would  be  willing  to  provide  the 
necessary  funds,  seemed  almost  a  hopeless  task.  But  toward  the 
accomplishment  of  this  most  humane  object,  Mr.  Bacon  had  set  his 
face  and  it  was  not  for  a  moment  in  his  thoughts  to  turn  back. 

He  left  Springfield  for  Galena,  going  by  stage  through  Peoria, 
Hennepin  and  Dixon.  While  on  this  journey  and  while  in  Galena, 
he  constantly  carried  in  mind  the  interests  of  the  blind  children  of 
Illinois.  He  kept  up  a  vigorous  correspondence,  gathering  all  pos- 
sible information  concerning  this  unfortunate  class  and  interesting 
the  friends  of  the  blind  in  the  prospective  institution. 

In  the  following  spring  he  returned  to  Jacksonville  and  on 
April  1,  1848,  met,  at  the  office  of  Brown  &  Yates  on  the  east  side 
of  the  public  square,  a  number  of  gentlemen  who  favored  his  enter- 
prise. It  was  then  and  there  determined  that  Mr.  Bacon  should 
continue  to  gather  information  which  would  show  the  necessity  of 
such  an  institution,  and,  as  soon  as  practicable,  open  in  the  city  of 
Jacksonville,  a  private  school  for  the  blind.  To  defray  the  ex- 
penses of  such  an  undertaking  a  subscription  paper  was  drawn  up 
and  circulated  among  the  citizens  of  the  town.  Judge  Thomas' 
name  appeared  at  the  head  of  the  list  with  a  subscription  of  $100 ;  Col. 
George  M.  Chambers  subscribed  $50;  Judge  William  Brown,  $50; 
Richard  Yates,  $25;  D.  A.  Smith,  $25;  Col.  James  Dunlap,  $25; 
Harmony  Lodge  No.  3,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  $40;  Thomas  Officer,  $20. 
The  original  papers  cannot  be  found,  but  it  is  known  that  the  follow- 


9 

ing  names  in  addition  to  those  given  above,  appeared  on  the  list, 
the  amounts  subscribed  by  each  varying  from  $3  to  $15  or  $20: 
Samuel  Dunlap,  Prof.  Sturtevant,  Dr.  David  Prince,  George  Dun- 
lap,  Matthew  Stacy,  Joab  Wilkinson,  Rev.  Andrew  Todd,  Dennis 
Rockwell,  E.  Walcott,  Dr.  Samuel  Adams,  Judge  S.  D.  Lockwood, 
J.  W.  King,  J.  Neely,  Ira  Davenport,  James  Jackson,  J.  J.  Cassell, 
David  Robb,  Samuel  Markoe,  M.  H.  Cassell,  F.  Stevenson,  J.  H. 
Finch,  A.  Coffin,  William  D.  Freeman,  Cornelius  Hook,  A.  F.  Mil- 
ton, G.  W.  Harlin,  J.  O.  King,  and  Robert  Hockenhull.* 

Dr.  English  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  enterprise,  J. 
O.  King  collector  and  treasurer,  and  Judge  Berdan,  secretary.  Mr. 
Bacon  was  authorized  to  continue  his  work  of  securing  information 
concerning  the  blind  in  the  state  and  of  interesting  their  friends  in 
the  establishment  of  a  state  school.  For  this  purpose  he  visited 
many  counties  traveling  on  foot,  by  stage,  on  horse-back,  by  boat, 
and  by  wagon,  more  than  two  thousand  miles. 

A  PKIVATE  SCHOOL  FOB  THE  BLIND. 

When  Mr.  Bacon  returned  to  Jacksonville  he  had  nearly  sixty 
names  of  blind  children  who  were  residents  of  Illinois,  many  of 
whom  he  had  visited.  Selecting  four  from  this  number,  George 
Springer  of  Adams  county,  John  Jones  of  Marion  county,  Joseph 
and  Nancy  Fielding  of  Pike  county,  a  school  was  opened  June  5, 
1848,  in  a  two-story  frame  building  which  stood  on  the  ground  now 
occupied  by  the  Wabash  depot.  Mrs.  Sarah  Graves  was  employed 
as  matron  and  Mr.  Bacon  was  the  teacher.  Miss  Sarah  Graves  a 
daughter  of  the  matron  did  much  reading  for  the  pupils  and  for 
their  teacher,  and  has  continued  to  read  for  the  teacher  ever  since 
that  time.  They  were  married  July  12,  1849,  and  are  now  living 
at  Nebraska  City,  Neb.  Later  one  or  two  pupils  came  into  the 
school,  but  the  four  named  seem  to  be  the  ones  upon  whom  Mr. 
Bacon  depended  to  prove  his  point,  namely,  that  it  was  worth  while 
to  attempt  to  educate  the  blind.  The  school  continued  in  session 
for  about  seven  months.  Of  the  work  done,  Mr.  Bacon  says:  "The 
pupils  were  taught  to  sing  twenty  quartettes.  The  geography  was 
elementary  as  we  had  no  maps.  In  arithmetic  they  were  taught 
all  forms  of  fractions,  also  cube  root;  and  they  were  able  to  solve 
any  arithmetical  question." 

*These  subscriptions  were  paid  in  installments  and  the  entire  amount  was  not  collected  as  the 
sum  subscribed  was  larger  than  was  needed  to  pay  the  expenses  of  securing  the  necessary  in- 
formation and  conducting  the  school. 


10 

On  the  3d  or  4th  of  January,  1849,  these  four  pupils  were 
taken  to  Springfield,  and  on  the  evening  of  the  9th  they  were  ex- 
hibited before  the  members  of  the  Legislature  in  order  "to  satisfy 
them  that  the  blind  could  be  and  ought  to  be  educated."  On  the 
next  day  a  bill  for  "An  Act  to  establish  the  Illinois  Institution  for 
the  Education  of  the  Blind,"  which  had  been  prepared  by  Judge 
William  Thomas  and  introduced  by  Hon.  (afterward  governor) 
Richard  Yates,  passed  both  Houses  and  on  January  13,  1849,  was 
approved  by  Gov.  Augustus  C.  French.  The  blind  children  were 
sent  from  Springfield  to  their  respective  homes. 

Much  work  had  been  done  gratuitously  by  Mr.  Samuel  Bacon  in 
order  to  convince  the  citizens  of  Jacksonville  of  the  necessity  of  a 
school  for  the  instruction  of  the  blind  in  Illinois.  To  convince  the 
public  of  the  necessity  of  a  state  school,  cost  the  citizens  of  Jack- 
sonville in  money  expended,  about  four  hundred  dollars;  and  in 
addition  to  this,  prominent  and  philanthropic  residents  of  that  city 
devoted  much  valuable  time  and  effort  to  this  worthy  cause.  It 
need  not  then  be  a  matter  of  surprise  that  the  legislative  enact- 
ment that  brought  the  school  into  existence,  named  in  its  first  sec- 
tion, five  Morgan  county  men  as  trustees,  and  that  section  twelve 
provided  that  the  school  should  be  opened  and  continued  in  or  near 
Jacksonville. 

THE  STATE  SCHOOL. 

TRUSTEES. 

SAMUEL  D.  LOCKWOOD,  President. 

JAMES  DUNLAP,  W.  W.  HAPPY, 

DENNIS  ROCKWELL,  SAMUEL  HUNT. 

SAMUEL  BACON,  Principal. 

On  February  3,  1849,  just  twenty-one  days  after  the  bill  pro- 
viding for  the  school  became  a  law,  the  gentleman  named  in  the 
first  section  of  the  Act,  met  and  organized  by  electing  Judge  Samuel 
D.  Lockwood  president  and  Judge  James  Berdan  secretary.  At 
this  first  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  Mr.  Bacon  was  ap- 
pointed, principal  of  the  school  at  a  salary  of  $600  per  annum,  and 
it  was  determined  that  if  a  suitable  building  could  be  secured,  he 
should  begin  work  on  the  first  Monday  in  April.  A  few  days  later 
Col.  Dunlap's  "Mansion  House"  situated  a  little  south  and  west  of 
Illinois  College,  was  rented  for  one  year,  at  $225.  Five  hundred 
circulars  were  issued  and  distributed  among  the  friends  of  the 
blind,  announcing  the  opening  of  the  school  at  the  date  named. 
Mrs.  Sarah  Graves  was  appointed  .  matron.  Mr.  Bacon  was  in- 


11 

structed  to  procure  the  necessary  books  and  apparatus,  and  at  the 
appointed  time  the  doors  were  thrown  open  for  the  reception  of 
sightless  students.  No  pupils  came  until  the  following  Saturday, 
April  7th.  On  that  day  George  Springer  of  Adams  county,  and 
Mary  Stuart  of  Madison  county,  came  to  the  "Mansion  House" 
and  were  duly  enrolled  as  students  at  the  Illinois  Institution  for 
the  Education  of  the  Blind. 

From  the  foregoing  it  will  appear  that  this  institution  was  the 
third  of  the  twelve  state  charitable  institutions  of  Illinois  to  be 
provided  for  by  legal  enactment,  and  the  second  to  open  its  doors 
for  the  reception  of  inmates.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  all  the 
charitable  institutions  of  Illinois  that  were  established  "  before  the 
war"  were  located  in  Jacksonville. 

As  before  stated  the  first  term  of  the  state  school  began  in  April, 
1849.  It  continued  without  vacation  until  July  10,  1850,  a  period 
of  fifteen  months.  The  number  of  pupils,  small  at  first,  gradually 
increased,  until  on  the  2d  of  July,  1849,  there  were  fourteen  in 
attendance.  At  this  time  Mr.  Aaron  Rose,  a  blind  man  who  had 
been  educated  in  the  Ohio  Institution,  was  employed  as  teacher  of 
music,  and  Miss  Lavinia  Booth,  a  blind  lady  from  the  same  school, 
was  appointed  "teacher  of  handicraft  in  the  female  department." 
By  the  end  of  the  term  the  number  of  pupils  had  increased  to 
twenty-three.  After  a  public  examination  they  were  dismissed 
until  the  first  Wednesday  of  October. 

ME.    BACON'S    RESIGNATION. 

On  the  24th  day  of  June,  1850,  just  before  the  close  of  the  first 
term  of  the  state  school,  the  Board  of  Trustees  ordered  that  $100 
be  allowed  Mr.  Bacon  to  defray  his  expenses  during  the  summer 
while  he  should  visit  institutions  for  the  blind  in  Boston,  Phila- 
delphia and  New  York.  Three  days  later,  there  being  some  dis- 
satisfaction in  regard  to  salaries,  Mr.  Bacon,  Miss  Booth  and  Mr. 
Rose  tendered  their  resignations  to  take  effect  at  the  close  of  the 
term.  These  were  promptly  accepted.  A  month  after  this  Mr.  Rose, 
at  his  request,  was  reinstated,  and  Mr.  Dennis  Rockwell  was 
authorized  to  visit  institutions  for  the  blind  in  the  East  for  the  pur- 
pose of  collecting  information,  of  procuring  needed  books  and 
apparatus,  and  of  engaging  a  competent  superintendent  who  should 
be  "a  seeing  man  experienced  in  the  conduct  of  a  blind  school." 

After   leaving  Jacksonville,    Mr.    Bacon   was    instrumental     in 


12 

establishing  two  other  schools  for  the  blind;  one  at  Viuton,  Iowa, 
and  one  at  Nebraska  City,  Neb.  He  is  now  (1893)  seventy  years 
of  age  and  is  residing  upon  his  own  farm  a  few  miles  from  the 
Nebraska  school.  He  is  a  living  proof  that  blindness,  though  very 
inconvenient,  is  by  no  means  a  bar  to  financial  success. 

PREPAEATIONS     FOB    BUILDING. 

The  legislative  enactment  establishing  the  Illinois  Institution 
for  the  Education  of  the  Blind,  provided  that  "  the  proceeds  of  a 
tax  of  one-tenth  of  a  mill  upon  every  dollar's  worth  of  taxable 
property  in  this  State  "  should  annually  be  paid  to  the  trustees  for 
the  purposes  set  forth  in  the  bill.  To  enable  them  to  commence 
building  at  once,  the  sum  of  $3,000  was  appropriated  "  out  of  any 
money  in  the  treasury  not  otherwise  appropriated." 

On  May  2,  1849,  the  Board  voted  to  purchase  twenty-two  and 
forty-five  hundredths  acres  of  land  that  was  a  part  of  the  Col. 
Hardin  estate,  and  is  situated  about  three-fifths  of  a  mile  east  of 
the  public  square  in  Jacksonville.  For  this  now  valuable  property 
they  paid  $75  per  acre.  Mr.  Napoleon  Koscialowski  prepared  the 
plans  and  specifications  for  the  building.  These  were  accepted  and 
work  was  begun  in  September,  1849;  but  at  the  close  of  the  first 
term,  July,  1850,  the  foundation  had  not  been  completed. 

DR.    JOSHUA    RHOADS    SUPERINTENDENT 1850  to  1874. 

In  the  summer  of  1850,  Mr.  Rockwell  visited  several  schools  for 
the  blind  in  the  East,  and  succeeded  in  securing  as  Superintendent 
of  the  Illinois  Institution,  Dr.  Joshua  Ehoads  who  had  formerly 
been  Superintendent  of  the  Pennsylvania  School.  Mrs.  Rhoads  was 
employed  as  matron.  On  the  first  Wednesday  in  October,  1850, 
school  opened  again  in  the  "  Mansion  House  "  with  eighteen  pupils 
present.  By  the  first  of  the  following  January  (1851)  the  number 
had  increased  to  twenty-three.  In  their  report  at  that  time,  the 
trustees  announced  that  "the  accommodations  of  the  building  which 
is  temporarily  occupied  for  the  purpose  of  the  institution,  are  not 
sufficient  and  no  more  pupils  can  be  received  except  as  vacancies 
may  occur  in  the  present  number." 

In  Dr.  Rhoads'  first  report  to  the  trustees  we  find  the  following 
"  Order  of  Business  ": 

"Rise  at  6;  prayers  and  reading  in  Bible,  6:45;  breakfast  7; 
literature  and  music,  8  to  12,  with  half-hour  iutermssion;  dine  and 


13 

recess  12  to  2;  literature  and  music  2,  to  6,  with  three-quarters  of 
an  hour  intermission;  supper  and  recess,  6  to  7;  history,  7  to  8;  re- 
tire, 9:30." 

Of  the  progress  of  the  pupils  in  their  studies  Dr.  Rhoads  says: 

"  Two  years  only  have  passed  since  not  one  of  the  pupils  of  this 
institution  knew  the  letters  of  the  alphabet.  Now,  all  the  pupils  but 
two,  read  the  Inspired  Word  with  pleasure  and  profit.  The  benevo- 
lent heart  of  the  Christian  must  thrill  with  delight,  when  he  beholds 
the  blind  enjoying,  in  their  solitude  and  physical  darkness,  an  inti- 
mate communion  with  the  inspired  penmen,  and  feel  itself  repaid 
for  all  the  labor,  time,  and  attention  bestowed." 

During  this  term  Mr.  Rose  continued  in  charge  of  the  music 
while  the  superintendent  himself  did  all  the  teaching  in  the  literary 
department.  The  girls  were  taught  sewing,  knitting  and  bead  work 
by  the  matron. 

As  an  indication  of  the  difficulty  in  securing  the  necessary 
"  help"  at  that  time,  it  may  be  stated  that  the  records  show  that  Dr. 
Rhoads  was  allowed  $55.80  "for  expenses  in  bringing  two  servant 
girls  from  Philadelphia." 

FAVORABLE    LEGISLATION. 

An  act  of  the  Legislature  of  1851  provided  that  for  two  years 
(1851-1852)  in  addition  to  the  tax  already  provided  for,  a  tax  of 
one-tenth  of  a  mill  on  every  dollar's  worth  of  taxable  property  in 
the  state  should  be  assessed  and  collected,  the  proceeds  to  be  applied 
to  the  completion  of  the  building  then  in  process  of  erection.  It 
was  also  provided  by  the  same  act  that  the  Governor  should  appoint 
five  trustees  for  this  institution,  and  biennially  thereafter,  should  ap- 
point five.  The  persons  appointed  in  accordance  with  this  act  met 
April  19,  1851,  but  did  not  organize  until  their  second  meeting 
which  occurred  April  29,  after  their  bonds  had  been  approved  by 
the  Governor. 

TRUSTEES. 

SAMUEL  D.  LOCKWOOD,  President. 

JAMES  DUNLAP,  SAMUEL  HUNT, 

\V.  W.  HAPPY,  WM.  B.  WARREX. 

DR.  JOSHUA  RHOADS,  Principal. 

There  was  the  usual  vacation  in  the  summer  of  1851,  and  with 
the  walls  of  the  new  building  less  than  half  completed  school  opened 
again  in  the  "  Mansion  House  "  October  1.  Some  additional  as- 


14 

sistance  was  employed,  and  the  superintendent  took  upon  himself 
the  instruction  of  the  male  pupils,  in  brush-making,  basket-making, 
and  rope-making. 

The  writer  is  unable  to  learn  the  number  of  pupils  in  attend- 
ance during  the  third  term  of  the  school ;  but  at  the  close  of  the 
second  biennial  period  (January,  1853),  thirty-three  pupils  had 
been  enrolled  since  the  opening  of  the  state  school  and  twenty-five 
were  present.  The  family  in  the  "Mansion  House"  at  that  time 
consisted  of  Dr.  Rhoads,  Superintendent  and  teacher;  Mrs.  Rhoads, 
matron  and  teacher;  four  daughters  of  the  Superintendent,  the  eldest 
being  eleven  years  of  age  and  the  youngest  under  one  year;  Mr. 
Rose,  teacher  of  music;  Mr.  Dunham,  assistant  in  the  literary  de- 
partment; twenty-five  pupils  (eleven  males  and  fourteen  females)  ; 
"a  porter  and  three  female  domestics  by  whom  all  the  washing,  cook- 
ing, etc.,  for  the  establishment  was  done,  with  the  exception  of  the 
hire  of  a  washerwoman  one  day  each  week." 

MOEE    LEGISLATION. 

An  act  of  the  Legislature  which  became  a  law  in  the  spring  of 
1858,  provided  that  the  number  of  trustees  of  the  Institution  for  the 
Blind  should  be  six  inclusive  of  the  Principal  who  should,  exofficio, 
be  a  member  of  the  Board.  It  was  also  provided  that  a  majority  of  the 
trustees  should  reside  without  the  county  of  Morgan.  In  accord- 
ance with  this  law  Gov.  Matteson  appointed  a  new  Board  of  Trus- 
tees, and  on  March  15,  1853,  they  met  and  organized. 


BOAKD  OF  TRUSTEES— 1853. 
SAMUEL  D.  LOCKWOOD,  Jacksonville,  President. 
NIVIAV  W.  EDWARDS,  SAMUEL  HUNT, 

MATTHEW  STACY,  SAMUEL  MARSHALL, 

JOSHUA  RHOADS,  Principal  and,  ex  offlcio,  member  of  the  Board. 

Afterward  Judge  Lockwood  removed  from  Jacksonville  to  Ba- 
tavia,  111.,  and  on  July  11,  1853,  Mr.  Stacy  became  President  of  the 
Board. 

In  the  autumn  of  1853,  school  opened  again  in  the  "  Mansion 
House;"  but  in  January,  1854,  the  work  on  the  new  building  had 
so  far  progressed  that  it  could  be  occupied,  and  accordingly  the  pu- 
pils with  their  officers  and  teachers  took  possession  of  their  new 
quarters. 

It  was  not  until  January,  1855,  that  the  building  was  fully 
finished  and  furnished.  The  Board  of  Trustees  then  announced 
that  they  were  "  prepared  to  receive  as  pupils  all  the  blind  of  either 


15 

sex,  capable  of  receiving  an  education,  within  our  State,  who  may 
apply  for  admission." 

In  the  fall  of  1853,  James  Dunlap  was  appointed  as  teacher  in 
the  Industrial  Department.  Soon  after  this  Mrs.  Dunham  accepted 
a  position  as  assistant  teacher  and  Mr.  Joseph  Ramsey  (blind)  was 
employed  as  a  teacher  of  music. 

LEGISLATION. 

In  1855,  that  part  of  the  law  of  1849  which  provided  for  the  levy- 
ing of  a  tax  of  one-tenth  of  a  mill  on  every  dollar's  worth  of  taxable 
property  in  the  state  for  the  purpose  of  creating  a  fund  for  the  In- 
stitution for  the  Blind,  was  repealed.  The  amount  of  money  col- 
lected under  the  laws  of  1849  and  1851,  and  paid  over  to  the  trustees 
was,  including  the  $3,000,  special  appropriation  made  per  section 
14,  of  the  act  of  incorporation,  $99,431.90.  The  law  of  1855  appro- 
priated to  the  Institution  for  the  Blind  for  the  next  two  years  after 
its  passage,  the  sum  of  $14,000  per  annum. 

In  May,  1856,  plans  were  made,  bids  received,  and  the  contract 
awarded,  for  building  a  work-shop  sixty  feet  by  thirty  feet  and  two 
stories  in  height.  The  building  was  to  be  of  brick  and  to  cost  be- 
tween three  and  four  thousand- dollars.  Soon  after  this,  the  build- 
ing was  erected  on  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  "  East  Wing." 

January,  1857,  the  Superintendent  reported  as  follows: 

"  Every  pupil  in  our  first  class  can  make  a  good  brush,  a  good 
broom,  a  tolerable  basket,  and  a  strong  rope,  in  addition  to  his 
acquirements  in  literature  and  music."  At  this  time  there  were 
fifty-six  pupils  in  attendance. 

LEGISLATION. 

By  a  law  in  force  February  13,  1857,  the  number  of  trustees 
was  reduced  to  five,  no  two  of  the  trustees  to  be  residents  of  the 
same  county.  It  was  also  provided  that  no  member  of  the  Board 
should  be  "  employed  or  appointed  in  or  to  any  office  or  place  under 
the  authority  of  the  Board;  and  that  no  member  of  the  Board 
should  be  "  directly  or  indirectly  interested  in  any  contract  to  be 
made  by  said  Board  for  any  purpose  whatever."  It  was  further 
provided  that  the  accounts  of  the  institution  should  be  so  kept  and 
reported  as  to  show  the  kind,  quality,  and  cost,  and  of  whom  bought, 
of  every  article  purchased.  The  Board  appointed  under  this  law, 
met  and  organized  April  8,  1857. 


16 

BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES— 1857. 

MATTHKW  STACY,  Jacksonville,  President, 

S.  D.  LOCKWOOD,  Batavia,  WM.  H.  BROWN,  Quincy. 

JOHN  MAGOUN,  WM.  BUTLER,  Springfield. 

DR.  JOSHUA  RHOADS,  Principal. 

The  law  of  1857  also  provided  that  "in  all  cases  where  the 
parents  of  pupils  sent  to  the  Institution  for  the  Education  of  the 
Blind,  are  too  poor  to  furnish  them  with  good  and  sufficient  cloth- 
ing, or  where  said  pupils  are  without  parents  and  unable  to  furnish 
themselves  with  such  clothing,  the  judge  of  the  county  court  of  the 
county  from  which  they  are  sent  shall  certify  the  same  to  the 
Principal  who  shall  procure  such  necessary  clothing  and  charge  the 
same  to  said  county  and  pre  sent  the  account  with  the  vouchers  to  the 
Auditor  of  Public  Accounts  who  shall  draw  upon  the  county  Treasurer 
for  the  amount  so  charged  to  the  county."  This  law  remained  in 
force  until  the  passage  of  a  law  now  in  force,  that  made  the  same 
provision  for  pupils,  but  changed  the  method  of  collecting  the 
amounts  due  the  institution  from  the  several  counties. 

To  secure  the  attendance  of  pupils,  notices  were  sent  to  the 
editors  of  newspapers  throughout  the  state,  informing  the  people 
that  the  doors  of  the  institution  were  open  to  every  blind  child 
within  the  limits  of  the  state.  Once  in  two  years,  the  Principal 
accompanied  by  a  number  of  pupils  (usually  twelve),  visited  many 
large  towns  giving  concerts  and  exhibitions.  At  the  end  of  the  fifth 
bienriium  (January,  1859),  fifty-eight  pupils  were  present  and  ten 
more  were  expected  to  arrive. 

In  1857,  the  Jacksonville  &  Carrollton  Railroad  obtained  and 
entered  upon,  for  its  own  use,  a  strip  of  ground  about  thirty  feet 
wide  and  nearly  1,000  feet  long  near  the  west  end  of  the  tiact 
occupied  by  the  institution.  February  3d  of  the  same  year,  the 
trustees  put  on  record  the  following  declaration : 

"  The  Board  can  not  concede  permission  for  the  railroad  to  pass 
through  its  grounds,  and  the  President  is  appointed  to  attend  to  the 
interests  of  the  institution  in  this  case." 

The  controversy  growing  out  of  this  trouble  continued,  in  and 
out  of  the  courts,  until  1869;  when,  the  Board  of  Trustees  protest- 
ing, the  matter  was  settled  by  legislative  enactment,  the  railroad 
company  retaining  the  land  and  another  and  wider  strip  west  of  the 
strip  before  mentioned  and  paying  therefor  into  the  State  treasury 
the  sum  of  $5,700.  A  full  account  of  this  iinfortunate  litigation  can 
be  found  in  the  report  of  the  Board  of  Public  Charities,  1876,  pp. 
130-132. 


17 

Some  building  was  done  during  the  year  1857-8.  The  barn 
was  enlarged  and  a  brick  smoke-house  built.  The  latter  is  still 
standing,  having  been  converted,  several  years  ago,  into  an  outside 
water-closet  connected  with  the  sewer. 

LEGISLATION. 

By  the  law  of  1859,  the  annual  appropriation  for  the  institution 
was  reduced  from  $14,000  per  annum  to  $12,000.  The  latter  sum 
was  the  amount  appropriated  for  the  annual  expenses  of  the  institu- 
tion from  this  date  until  1865. 


BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES— 1860. 
MATTHEW  STACY,  Jacksonville,  President. 

8.  D.  LOCKWOOD,  Batavia,  D.  ROCKWELL,  Jacksonville, 

SAMUEL  LONG,  M.  D.,  JOHN  MAGOUN. 

DR.  JOSHUA  RHOADS,  Principal. 

In  June,  1860,  Dr.  Samuel  Long  was  instructed  to  procure  an 
organ  for  the  institution  to  cost  not  over  $1,600.  He  visited  St. 
Louis  and  purchased  of  Henry  Pilcher  an  organ  with  twenty-four 
stops.  This  instrument  was  pronounced  at  that  time  by  competent 
judges  to  be  one  of  the  best  in  the  State. 

June  19,  1861,  probably  on  account  of  restlessness  on  the  part 
of  the  older  pupils  and  a  seeming  lack  of  appreciation  of  the  priv- 
ileges offered  by  the  state,  the  Board  ordered:  "That  the  term  of 
pupils  be  limited  to  five  years  unless  for  special  reasons  to  be  re- 
ported to  the  Board." 

1861   TO  1865. 

During  the  seventh  and  eighth  biennial  periods,  but  little  oc- 
curred outside  the  usual  routine  of  earnest,  persistent,  and  cheerful 
effort  on  the  part  of  members  of  the  Board,  of  teachers,  and  of 
pupils. 

During  this  period,  James  Magoun  retired  from  the  Board; 
Dennis  Rockwell  removed  from  the  State,  and  Judge  Lockwood 
asked  to  be  relieved  from  further  duties.  The  places  thus  made 
vacant  were  supplied  by  Robert  Hill  of  —  — , —  — ,  E.  B. 
Hawley  of  Springfield,  William  A.  Grimshaw  of  Pittsfield,  and 
William  Coffin  of  Batavia.  On  the  retirement  of  Judge  Lockwood 
the  Board  caused  the  following  tribute  to  be  spread  upon  the 
records : 


18 

"Ordered,  That  the  Board  have  learned  with  great  regret  of  the 
resignation  of  Judge  Lockwood  on  account  of  his  advanced  age. 
The  Board  feel  that  they  have  lost  the  leading  spirit  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  institution  from  its  foundation,  and  have  a  high 
trust  that  they  and  their  successors  may  continue  to  be  guided  by 
the  same  spirit  which  always  guided  him." 

His  period  of  service  was  fourteen  and  one-half  years. 

In  October,  1861,  Prof.  John  Loomis  commenced  his  long  and 
valuable  service  as  a  teacher  of  the  blind.  During  the  first  few 
years  his  salary  was  $800  per  annum;  but  in  1865  it  was  raised  to 
$1,200;  in  .1871,  to  $1,400  and  in  1878,  to  $1,500.  This  last  figure 
is  the  highest  salary  ever  received  by  any  one  employed  as  a  teacher 
in  the  Illinois  Institution  for  the  Blind.  Prof.  Loomis  was  connected 
with  the  Institution  until  1881,  a  period  of  twenty  years.  There  is 
evidence  that  the  pupils  became  very  strongly  attached  to  him,  and, 
although  the  methods  of  instruction  employed  might  not,  in  some 
particulars,  meet  the  approval  of  modern  teachers,  there  is  abundant 
proof  that  the  value  of  his  instruction  and  influence  can  not  be 
measured  by  the  standards  of  worth  that  are  usually  applied  to 
human  effort. 

In  1862  Miss  Alice  Rhoads  began  work  as  a  teacher  in  the 
primary  department.  She  was  employed  uninterruptedly,  part  of 
the  time  in  the  literary  department  and  afterward  as  teacher  of 
music  and  leader  of  the  orchestra,  until  1874. 

In  the  summer  of  1862,  Oscar  Butts,  of  Adams  county,  a  young 
man  who  had  left  school  without  permission  the  previous  year,  made 
a  written  complaint  to  the  Board  regarding  the  general  management 
of  the  Institution  and  charging  the  superintendent  with  inefficiency 
and  "  arbitrary  and  despotic  exercise  of  power."  A  special  meeting 
of  the  Board  was  called  which  continued  two  days  (June  25  and  26, 
1862),  the  members  patiently  listening  to  witnesses  introduced  at 
the  suggestion  of  Butts.  At  a  subsequent  meeting  the  following 
statement  was  put  on  record: 

"The  trustees  present  who  heard  the  testimony  against  and  for 
Dr.  Rhoads,  having  carefully  considered  the  subject,  have  unani- 
mously come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  charges  exhibited  against 
Dr.  Rhoads  have  not  been  sustained. 

"  Resolved  by  the  trustees,  that  we  affirm  the  decision  of  the 
Board  made  in  December,  1861,  that  the  Illinois  Institution  for  the 


19 

Blind  is  entitled  to  the  confidence  of   the   public  and  is  answering 
the  purpose  for  which  the  institution  was  established. 

"  Resolved,  That  hereafter  no  pupil  shall  be  returned  to  the 
school  for  more  than  five  years,  unless  the  trustees,  for  good  reasons 
shown  to  them,  shall  otherwise  order." 

On  the  16th  day  of  June,  1863,  the  Board  caused  the  following 
to  be  spread  upon  the  records,  and  copies  sent  to  the  newspapers  of 
Jacksonville,  Springfield,  Chicago,  and  elsewhere,  with  the  request 
that  it  be  published: 

"  Resolved,  That  we  have  witnessed  with  pleasure  and  very 
great  satisfaction,  the  exercises  of  the  institution  under  the  charge 
of  Dr.  Joshua  Rhoads  and  Mrs.  Rhoads  assisted  by  able  and  expe- 
rienced teachers,  in  the  respective  branches  of  study  in  this  institu- 
tion, and  express  our  great  satisfaction  at  the  proficiency  shown  by 
the  pupils  and  return  our  thanks  to  the  Principals  and  their  assist- 
ants for  their  able  management  of  the  institution  during  the  past 
year,  as  shown  by  the  progress  of  the  pupils. 

Signed.         MATT.  STACY, 
E.  B.  HAWLEY, 
WILLIAM  A.  GEIMSHAW. 

Near  the  close  of  the  year  1864,  Supt.  Rhoads  stated  as  fol- 
lows : 

"  This  "institution  now  contains  sixty-eight  blind  persons  of 
good  moral  character,  kindly  in  their  deportment  to  their  teachers 
arid  to  each  other.  About  one-half  of  the  number  were  either  born 
blind  or  lost  their  sight  in  infancy;  the  other  half  of  them  became 
blind  from  various  accidents  to  which  all  are  subject.  Thirty-two 
of  the  pupils  are  males  and  thirty-six  are  females. 


1865  TO  1869. 
BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES-1865. 

MATTHEW  STACY,  Jacksonville,  President, 

WILLIAM  A.  GRIMSHAW,  Plttsfleld,          E.  B.  HAWLEY,  Springfield, 
M.  SHAEFFEK,  Salem,  H.  BUCK,  Decatur. 

DR.  JOSHUA  RHOADS,  Principal. 

LEGISLATION. 

The  annual  appropriation  for  ordinary  expense  was  raised  in 
1865  to  $20,000,  and  remained  at  that  figure  until  1869.  In  1867 
there  was  an  especial  appropriation  of  $1,000  per  annum  (1867  and 


20 

1868)  "to  pay  for  repairs  of  buildings  and  improvements."  This 
was  the  beginning  of  a  regular  appropriation  for  repairs  and  im- 
provements, the  amount  received  for  this  purpose  being  known  as 
the  K.  &  I.  fund. 

Near  the  beginning  of  this  period,  furnaces  were  introduced 
into  the  building  in  place  of  stoves  with  which  all  the  rooms  had 
been  heated  up  to  this  time. 

In  October,  1865,  Prof.  A.  E.  Wimmerstedt  was  employed  as  a 
teacher  of  music.  He  continued  to  serve  as  teacher  and  musical 
director  till  the  summer  of  1879 — a  period  of  fourteen  years. 

In  January,  1867,  the  trustees  reported  eighty  pupils  inafctend- 
ance  and  "  no  accommodation  for  any  more."  It  was  a  period  of 
high  prices  and  the  Board  recommended  that  the  appropriation  for 
ordinary  expenses  be  increased  from  $20,000  to  $25,000  per  annum. 

In  1868  Miss  Fannie  Maginuis  commenced  a  long  period  of 
service  as  teacher  in  the  literary  department.  She  resigned  in 
1879,  on  account  of  the  illness  of  her  mother;  was  re-elected  in 
1881,  and  continued  in  the  work  until  1887. 


1869  AND  1870. 
LEGISLATION. 

In  1869  the  appropriation  for  ordinary  expense  was  increased  to 
$25,000  per  annum  and  $5.000  was  appropriated  for  repairs  and 
improvements.  An  act  entitled,  "An  Act  to  provide  for  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  Board  of  Commissioners  of  Public  Charities"  was 
approved  April  9,  1869.  Since  that  time  the  state  charitable  in- 
stitutions have  been  under  the  most  vigilant  supervision  of  that 
Board,  the  active  officer  of  which,  has  been  from  the  beginning  up 
to  the  present  time  (April  1,  1893),  their  Secratary,  Rev.  Fred  H. 
Wines. 

The  act  of  1869  further  provided  that  the  number  of  trustees 
for  each  of  the  state  charitable  institutions  should  be  three. 


BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES— 1869. 

MATTHEW  STACY,  Jacksonville,  President. 

E.  B.  HAWLEY,  Springfield,  WILLIAM  A.  GKIMSHAW,  Pittsfield. 

At  ten   o'clock  on  the    morning  of  April    20,  1869,  smoke  and 
flames  were  seen  issuing  from  various  parts  of  the  roof  of  the  main 


21 

building  of  the  Illinois  Institution  for  the  Blind.  The  following 
statement  from  the  Superintendent's  report  dated  November  30, 
1870,  gives  a  succinct  account  of  the  fire  and  of  the  rebuilding. 

"  The  citizens  of  Jacksonville  rushed  in  haste  to  attempt  the 
suppression  of  the  fire.  A  profuse  supply  of  water  was  at  hand 
— one  hundred  and  twenty  barrels  being  in  tanks  in  the  fifth  story 
of  the  building;  but  the  progress  of  the  fire  was  so  rapid  that 
nothing  availed  to  check  its  ravages.  In  a  few  short  hours,  the 
comfortable  home  for  the  blind  had  become  a  mass  of  smould- 
ering ruins. 

"  The  fire  is  supposed  to  have  originated  from  a  defective  smoke 
flue  in  the  attic  of  the  building,  and  to  have  been  making  progress 
there  for  four  hours  before  it  was  discovered.  When  first  dis- 
covered, the  flames  were  breaking  through  the  roof,  and  the  attic 
could  not  be  entered  from  the  scuttle  in  the  fifth  story  ceiling  on 
account  of  the  heat  and  flame. 

"  The  citizens  succeeded  in  rescuing  all  the  inmates,  and  in  re- 
moving their  clothing.  The  books,  papers,  and  much  of  the 
furniture,  including  seven  pianos,  were  also  removed  in  safety. 
The  citizens  of  Jacksonville  opened  their  houses  to  our  pupils,  and, 
in  a  few  hours,  they  were  all  installed  in  comfortable  homes,  and 
well  provided  for  until  we  could  arrange  to  resume  the  charge  of 
them. 

"  Mrs.  Eliza  Ayers,  without  solicitation,  at  once  proffered  to  us 
her  property,  known  as  the  Berean  College,  and  in  a  week  we  had 
our  pupils  comfortably  domiciled  in  it,  and  in  our  workshops. 
The  school  was  at  once  resumed, and  our  pupils  re-commenced  their 
studies  with  accustomed  cheerfulness.  The  school  was  continued  in 
session  until  the  usual  time  for  vacation,  June  1,  when  the  pupils 
returned  to  their  homes. 

"  The  buildings  being  insured  for  $20,000,  and  some  other  funds 
being  applicable  to  the  purpose  of  rebuilding,  it  was  determined 
to  allow  no  unnecessary  delay  in  providing  a  new  building.  Suit- 
able designs  were  procured,  and  work  was  begun  on  a  new  building 
on  the  site  of  the  old  edifice.  This  building  was  pushed  forward 
with  such  industry  and  energy  that  it  was  finished  and  occupied  by 
the  officers  and  pupils  on  January  26,  1870. 

"  The  building  is  seventy-two  feet  by  seventy-two  feet,  and  is 
three  stories  high.  It  is  placed  on  the  site  of  the  former  building, 
and  is  planned  so  as  to  be  the  "  west  wing "  to  a  future  main 


22 

building  and  east  wing,  to  be  erected  when  the  Legislature  shall 
appropriate  funds  for  its  erection ." 

"  The  cost  of  the  new  building  was  $34,069.39.  Of  this  amount 
$20,000  was  received  from  the  insurance  companies,  and,  as  the 
school  was  necessarily  closed,  a  portion  of  the  amount  appropriated 
for  repairs  and  improvements,  and  current  expenses  became  avail- 
able for  building." 

It  may  be  here  stated  that  the  Board  of  Trustees  in  beginning 
to  rebuild  almost  before  the  foundation  stones  of  the  old  building 
were  cold,  and  in  applying,  not  alone  the  insurance  money,  but  funds 
appropriated  for  ordinary  expense,  to  this  purpose,  pushing  the 
structure  to  completion  in  the  space  of  nine  months,  acted  without 
the  sanction  of  law.  They  however  did  this  under  the  advice  of 
Governor  Palmer,  and  of  individual  members  of  the  Legislature  of 
1869.  The  responsibility  was  upon  themselves;  but  so  fully  did 
their  promptness  of  decision  and  energy  of  action  in  the  interest  of 
the  unfortunate  class  placed  in  their  care,  commend  themselves  to 
the  general  public,  that  no  one  has  been  found  to  make  complaint, 
either  formal  or  otherwise,  of  their  assumption  of  authority;  though 
it  has  sometimes  been  said  in  an  undertone  that  the  desire  to  retain 
the  institution  at  Jacksonville  had  something  to  do  with  their  very 
commendable  activity  in  providing  the  new  building  for  the  School 
for  the  Blind. 

The  new  building  contained  only  about  half  as  much  available 
space  as  the  former  one;  yet  the  school  was  continued  in  all  its 
departments.  In  the  autumn  of  1870,  there  were  seventy-four 
pupils  present,  and  the  Superintendent  was  obliged  to  refuse  admis- 
sion to  many  others. 

1871   TO  1874. 
BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES. 

MATTHEW  STACY,  Jacksonville,  President, 

E.  B.  HAWLEY,  Springfield,      WILLIAM  A.  GRIMSHAW,  Pittsflekl. 
DR.  JOSHUA  RHOADS,  Principal. 

In  1871  the  annual  appropriation  for  the  ordinary  expenses  of 
the  institution  was  reduced  from  $25,000  to  $20,00;  and  in  1873, 
from  $20,000  to  $17,500. 

On  November  20,  1871,  Miss  Clara  E.  Greenleaf  was  employed 
as  assistant  matron  and,  in  December,  1872,  Avas  promoted  to  the 
position  of  primary  teacher.  She  resigned  in  the  summer  of  1878, 


23 

on  account  of  poor  health,  after  having  been  connected  with  the  in- 
stitution six  years  and  five  months. 

The  building  erected  in  1869,  was  designed  as  a  west  wing  of 
a  main  building  yet  to  be  erected.  Before  the  work  was  begun  on 
this  "  wing,"  Messrs.  Dilger  and  Jungerfeldt,  architects,  of  Spring- 
field, 111.,  were  employed  to  prepare  the  elevation  and  ground  plans 
for  a  structure  consisting  of  a  main  building  and  two  wings.  In 
1872,  the  Board  made  a  very  earnest  appeal  to  the  Legislature  then 
in  session,  for  an  appropriation  sufficient  for  the  erection  of  the 
central  portion  of  the  proposed  structure.  On  May  3,  1873,  a  bill  re- 
ceived the  Governor's  signature,  which  provided  for  an  appropria- 
tion of  |75,000  for  this  purpose. 

Within  a  month  from  that  time  the  board  advertised  for  bids 
for  the  construction  of  the  "main  building."  On  July  10  thirteen 
bids  had  been  received.  That  of  Loar  &  Bruce  being  the  lowest, 
the  contract  was  awarded  to  them,  the  sum  named  being  $58,560. 
The  work  of  building  was  immediately  commenced  and  with  the 
usual  delays,  changes  in  contract,  and  some  additions  thereto,  com- 
mendable progress  was  made.  It  was  apparent  in  the  spring  of 
1874,  that  the  building  would  be  ready  for  occupancy  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  next  term. 

In  the  meantime  Hon.  John  L.  Beveridge  became  governor  of 
Illinois. 

A  new  Board  of  Trustees  was  appointed,  and  at  the  last  meeting 
of  the  retiring  Board  (June  2,  1874),  they  caused  the  following 
tribute  to  the  officers  and  teachers  of  the  institution  to  be  spread 
upon  the  records: 

Resolved,  That  at  this  our  last  meeting,  as  trustees  of  this  institution,  we  part 
with  the  officers  and  employes  thereof,  yet  feeling  in  them  the  same  confidence 
which  their  zeal,  integrity,  and  devotion  to  duty  has  caused  us  to  repose  in  them 
in  the  past. 

Resolved,  That  we  feel  our  hearts  oppressed,  in  consequence  of  the  painful 
illness  of  our  long-time  friend  and  faithful,  upright,  public  servant,  Dr.  Joshua 
Rhoads,  preventing  him  from  being  present  with  us,  it  being  the  first  time  in  our 
official  connection  with  this  institution;  and  we  now  give  to  him  our  most  cheering 
congratulations,  that  to  him  is  the  consciousness  of  a  life  spent  in  public  service 
for  twenty-four  years  in  the  education  and  training  of  the  blind  of  Illinois,  dis" 
charging  with  uprightness  and  with  a  genial  heart  and  true  manhood  his  impor- 
tant duties  as  Superintendent  of  this  institution;  and  we,  as  trustees,  sympathize 
most  cordially  with  him  and  his  amiable  family  in  his  present  affliction;  and  we 
return  to  him  our  sincere  thanks  for  his  incessant  labors  and  for  his  pleasant  inter- 
course with  us  in  our  official  capacity,  in  which  his  family  so  considerately  co-op- 
erated. 

Resolved,  That  we  especially  present  to  Mrs.  Rhoads,  as  Matron,  our  most 


24 

hearty  thanks  for  her  truly  motherly  sympathy  and  charge  over  the  numerous 
children  who  have  passed  under  her  kind,  considerate  and  useful  training,  during 
the  long  period  she  has  presided  over  this  institution,  being  from  its  foundation. 
l  i  Resolved,  That  Miss  Alice  Rhoads,  has  our  sincere  thanks  for  her  exceedingly 
happy  and  efficient  effort  in  training  those  of  the  pupils  who  have  been  under  her 
charge,  in  literature  and  in  music,  and  we  feel  it  to  be  our  duty  to  say  that  she 
can  not  be  surpassed  in  her  vocation  as  a  teacher  of  youth. 

Resolved,  That  Mr.  John  Loomis,  as  senior  teacher,  has  always  merited  and 
received  our  confidence,  as  he  now  fully  possesses  the  same,  and  we  commend  him 
as  unsurpassed  if  not  unequaled  in  capacity  as  a  teacher  in  the  position  he  has 
occupied. 

Resolved,  That  Miss  Frances  Maginnis  and  Miss  Clara  E.  Greenleaf,  as 
teachers  in  this  institution,  has  each  discharged  her  duty  in  a  highly  acceptable 
manner  and  to  our  entire  satisfaction. 

Resolved,  That  we,  with  pleasure,  express  our  satisfaction  in  the  progress  of 
the  pupils  of  the  institution  during  the  past  term,  and  commend  them  to  the  public 
as  worthy  objects  of  public  care,  deserving  the  same  by  good  conduct  and  entitled 
hereto  as  children  of  the  great  State  of  Illinois. 

On  June  4,  1874,  the  new  Board  consisting  of  John  Mathers, 
of  Jacksonville;  John  H.  Wood,  of  Virginia,  and  John  H.  Lewis,  of 
Galesburg,  met  and  organized.  Mr.  Mathers  was  chosen  President, 
and  Bazzil  Davenport  Secretary  pro  tern.  The  resignations  of  Dr. 
Joshua  Rhoads  and  Mrs.  Rosanna  J.  Rhoads,  to  take  effect  August 
1,  1874,  were  read  and  accepted. 

On  motion,  they  proceeded  to  the  election  of  a  superintendent. 
Several  names  were  placed  in  nomination  and  on  the  first  ballot  Dr. 
F.  W.  Phillips  received  one  vote;  Prof.  John  Loomis,  one,  and  Rev. 
W.  H.  De  Motte,  one.  On  the  second  ballot,  Dr.  Phillips  received 
two  votes  and  Rev.  De  Motte,  one.  Dr.  Phillips  was  declared 
elected.  Mrs.  Lucy  J.  Phillips  was  chosen  matron.  Prof.  Loomis, 
Miss  Alice  S.  Rhoads,  Miss  Fannie  Maginnis  and  Prof.  A.  E. 
Wimmerstedt  were  re-elected  as  teachers.  At  a  subsequent  meet- 
ing the  resignation  of  Miss  Rhoads  was  read  and  accepted. 

At  the  close  of  Dr.  Rhoads'  term  as  Superintendent,  blind 
persons  to  the  number  of  443,  had  availed  themselves  of  the  privi- 
leges of  the  institution  and  seventy-two  were  present. 


1874  TO  1876. 
BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES. 

JOHN  MATHKRS,  Jacksonville,  President, 

JOHN  H.  WOOD,  Virginia,        JOHN  H.  LEWIS,  Galesburg. 

DR.  F.  W.  PHILLIPS,  Superintendent. 

With  very  few  changes  in  the  corps  of  teachers  and  officers, 
Dr.  Phillips  commenced  his  long  period  (fourteen  years)  of  service 


27 

as  Superintendent  of  the  Institution  for  the  Blind.  Capt.  William 
A.  Kirby  was  appointed  foreman  of  the  workshop,  and  Mrs.  A.  C. 
Kirby  teacher  in  the  literary  department,  while  Prof.  T.  D.  Nut- 
ting and  Miss  Fannie  De  Motte  were  employed  as  teachers  of 
music. 

Immediately  after  the  completion  of  the  new  building,  circulars 
giving  notice  of  the  increased  capacity  of  the  institution,  and 
requesting  friends  of  the  blind  to  see  that  those  in  need  of  the  edu- 
cational privileges  thus  furnished  by  the  state  were  induced  to 
avail  themselves  of  these  advantages,  were  printed  and  sent  into 
every  county.  As  a  result  of  this  effort,  the  number  of  pupils  was 
increased  from  seventy-two  to  one  hundred  and  seven,  the  latter 
being  the  number  in  attendance  December  1,  1 874. 

In  1875  B,  B.  Gray  was  appointed  foreman  of  the  work  depart- 
ment in  place  of  Captain  Kirby,  resigned.  Mr.  Gray  had  been  em- 
ployed as  a  carpenter  and  builder  at  the  institution  during  the  super- 
intendency  of  Dr.  Rhoads.  He  is  yet  (1893)  an  efficient  officer  of 
the  institution,  having  served  continuously  for  eighteen  years. 

LEGISLATION. 

By  an  Act  of  the  Legislature  in  force  June  1,  1874,  $5,000, 
which  had  before  been  appropriated  and  had  not  been  drawn  from 
the  State  treasury,  was  made  available  for  building  purposes,  and 
Section  2  of  the  same  Act  appropriated  $10,000  for  furnishing. 
Adding  this  $5,000  to  the  amount  appropriated  by  the  Act  of  May 
3,  1873,  made  a  total  of  $80,000.  The  new  trustees  found  that 
"  contracts  had  been  entered  into  and  improvements  made  amount- 
ing in  the  aggregate  to  $82,332.34,  being  $2,332.34  in  excess  of  the 
appropriations  made."  Disclaiming  any  responsibility  for  this,  they 
declared  the  claims  to  be  just  and  asked  the  Legislature  to  make 
appropriation  for  the  payment  of  the  same  with  ten  per  cent,  inter- 
est from  the  first  day  of  August,  1874.  Two  years  later  this  request 
was  renewed,  and  the  General  Assembly  of  1877  appropriated  a  sum 
sufficient  to  pay  these  claims  with  interest  at  the  rate  named. 

The  Board  further  declared  that  although  the  former  board  had, 
"by  some  mistake  or  oversight,  made  improvements  in  excess  of 
the  appropriation,"  additional  improvements  and  repairs  were  needed 
which  demanded  the  consideration  of  the  Legislature. 

The  "center  building"  was  heated  by  steam,  the  boilers  for  this 
purpose  being  located  in  the  rear  part  of  the  basement.  The  wing 
was  imperfectly  heated  by  four  furnaces.  The  Board  reported  that 


28 

convenience,  comfort,  safety  and  economy  alike  demanded  that 
there  should  be  constructed  a  building  for  the  reception  of  the 
boilers,  the  same  to  be  connected  by  a  tunnel  with  the  main  struct- 
ure, and  that  the  wing  should  be  equipped  with  steam-heating 
apparatus.  In  response  to  their  request  for  $8,000,  the  Legislature 
appropriated  $5,000  for  building  a  boiler-house,  stack  and  tunnel, 
and  supplying  the  needed  pipes  and  coils  for  the  wing. 

The  Board  deeming  this  amount  insufficient,  it  appears  that  they 
inaugurated  the  custom  of  regarding  the  amounts  received  from 
counties  and  individuals  for  clothing,  as  well  as  the  amounts  of 
sales  of  live  stock  and  articles  manufactured  in  the  shops  and  sew- 
ing-room, as  a  "  contingent  fund  "  which  they  applied  wherever  it 
might  seem  to  them  desirable.  (This  custom  was  continued  until 
July  1,  1881;  the  sum  of  the  orders  paid  from  this  fund  sometimes 
being  more  than  $1,500  per  annum.  Since  that  time  the  receipts 
for  clothing  and  sales  of  stock,  etc.,  are  returned  to  the  ordinary 
expense  fund  from  which  the  amounts  paid  for  clothing,  for  feed, 
for  live  stock  and  for  material  to  be  manufactured,  are  always 
draAvn. ) 

In  explanation  of  this  the  Board  in  their  biennial  report,  dated 
October  1,  1876,  make  the  following  statement: 

"We  asked  the  Legislature  for  $8,000  to  build  an  engine  and 
boiler-house,  and  to  heat  the  wing  with  steam,  and  received  $5,000. 
The  building  which  we  were  able  to  erect  after  steam-heating  had 
been  paid  for,  is  not  such  as  we  desire,  but  will  answer  our  purpose 
for  years.  We  could  not  have  built  as  we  did,  and  when  we  did, 
had  we  not  been  able  to  add  our  sales  and  receipts  to  the  amount 
the  state  gave  us.  We  did  this  when  we  wanted  our  sales  and 
receipts  for  another  purpose,  because  the  amount  given  us  was  not 
sufficient  to  build,  and  the  safety  and  health  of  the  pupils  and 
security  of  the  buildings,  required  that  the  boilers  should  be 
removed." 

"The  entire  building  is  now  uniformly  and  comfortably  heated, 
and  the  tire  removed  from  it,  except  in  the  kitchen." 

The  ordinary  expenses  for  the  year  1874  were  several  thousand 
dollars  more  than  the  appropriation,  and  the  Legislature,  in  the 
spring  of  1875,  appropriated  $5,000  "to  defray  the  increased 
ordinary  expense  of  the  Institution  for  the  Blind,"  and  provided 
that  the  act  should  "  take  effect  and  be  in  force  on  and  after  its 
passage." 


29 

In  the  Superintendent's  report  for  the  same  year  we  find  the 
following  very  courteous  tribute  to  Dr.  Bhoads: 

Since  rny  last  report  to  you,  my  predecessor,  Dr.  Joshua-  Rhoads,  has  died. 
His  health,  feeble  at  the  time  of  his  resignation,  continued  to  fail  until  February 
1,  1876,  when  death  relieved  him  of  his  sufferings.  A  graduate  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania University  of  Medicine,  he  was  engaged  in  the  active  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession for  a  number  of  years.  He  was  principal  of  the  Pennsylvania  Institution 
for  the  Blind  for  four  years.  In  1850  he  was  elected  principal  of  this  institution, 
which  position  he  occupied  for  twenty-four  years.  Possessed  of  a  good  mind, 
which  was  well  cultivated,  he  was  qualified,  both  by  nature  and  habit,  for  the  work 
to  which  he  gave  so  much  of  his  life.  Methodical,  earnest,  and  in  love  with  his 
work,  the  institution  was  well  conducted  and  successful  under  his  administration. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  had  entered  upon  his  seventieth  year. 

1876  TO  1880. 

The  appropriation  for  ordinary  expense  for  the  biennium  be- 
ginning July,  1875,  was  $25,000  per  annum,  with  $1,000  per  annum, 
for  repairs  and  improvements;  for  the  biennium  beginning  July, 
1877,  the  appropriation  for  ordinary  expense  was  $28,000  per  an- 
num, and  the  amount  for  repairs  and  improvements,  $1,250  per 
annum.  Early  in  1877,  Governor  Cullom  appointed  a  new  Board 
of  Trustees  for  the  Institution  for  the  Blind,  and  on  June  4  the 
appointees  met  and  organized. 


BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES-1877. 
A.  C.  WADSWOKTH,  Jacksonville,  President. 
N.  W.  BRANSON,  Petersburg,       A.  G.  BUUB,  Carrollton. 
DR.  F.  W.  PHILLIPS,  Superintendent. 

For  the  term  1876-77  Dr.  Phillips  says  in  his  report  to  the 
trustees  "  ninety-five  permits  have  been  sent  out  [to  pupils],  di- 
vided as  follows:  seventy-six  returned,  three  re-admitted,  and  six- 
teen new  pupils.  An  addition  of  $3,000  to  the  appropriation  made 
for  ordinary  expense  by  the  last  Legislature,  would  enable  me  to 
admit  twenty-five  more  pupils.  I  have  on  hand  from  which  to 
select  that  number,  eighty-nine  applications.  Four  of  these  appli- 
cants are  too  old,  nine  are  too  young,  and  one  is  from  another 
state.  The  remaining  seventy-five  are  proper  subjects  for  our  care 
and  instruction,  but  we  can  not  now  receive  them." 

Mrs.  Marion  P.  Wimrnerstedt  was  employed  for  half  her  time 
for  one  year,  as  music  teacher,  her  term  of  service  beginning  Octo- 
ber, 1876. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  next  term  (1877-78)  Miss  Lizzie  B. 


30 

Simpson  was  employed  as  a  teacher  in  the  literary  department,  and 
Miss  Hattie  Hobbs  as  a  music  teacher  in  place  of  Mrs.  Wimmer- 
stedt.  Miss  Simpson  retained  her  position  until  her  resignation 
was  tendered  and  accepted  July,  1885. 

Miss  Alice  Dickey  was  employed  in  place  of  Miss  Greenleaf  re- 
signed. Mrs.  Alice  Dickey  Harsha  resigned  in  the  summer  of  1884. 

In  April,  1879,  Miss  Harriet  B.  Reed  was  employed  as  teacher 
in  the  junior  division  in  place  of  Miss  Maginnis;  Prof.  H.  Breth- 
erick,  in  place  of  Prof.  Wimrnerstedt  as  musical  director.  Miss 
Reed's  term  of  service  continued  until  January,  1886;  Prof.  Breth- 
erick's,  until  the  summer  of  1883. 

NUMBER  OF  PUPILS  ENEOLLED. 

Terra  of  1876-77 96      Term  of  1877-78 123 

Term  of  1878-79 133      Term  of  1879-80 142 

In  response  to  the  request  of  the  trustees,  the  Legislature  of 
1879  made  appropriations  in  addition  to  the  usual  amount  for  cur- 
rent expenses,  as  follows: 

For  new  fronts  to,  and  for  resetting  boilers $  784  00 

For  stand-pipe,  hose  and  connections 850  00 

For  dining-room  and  kitchen 2,400  00 

With  these  funds  the  necessary  work  was  done  in  the  boiler- 
house,  and  a  large  water  tank  was  placed  in  the  attic  of  the  wing 
and  the  necessary  connections  made  to  carry  water  to  any  part  of 
the  building.  A  kitchen  was  built  and  a  dining-room  provided 
that  would  accommodate  one  hundred  and  fifty  pupils. 


1880  TO  1884. 

In  the  beginning  of  this  period,  the  Board  of  Trustees  con- 
sisted of  the  persons  appointed  by  Governor  Cullom  in  1877, 
namely:  Hon.  A.  C.  Wadsworth,  Judge  Branson,  and  Judge  Burr; 
but  on  the  death  of  Judge  Burr,  June  10,  1882,  Dr.  J.  M.  Davis, 
of  Carrollton,  was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy.  The  following 
tribute  to  Judge  Burr  was  prepared  by  his  colleagues,  and  the 
same  was  published  and  spread  upon  the  records: 

IN    MEMORIAM. 

Hon.  Albert  Gallatiu  Burr,  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Illinois 
Institution  for  the  Education,  of  the  Blind,  died  at  his  residence  in  Carrollton,  111., 
June  10, 1882. 

We  had  known  Judge  Burr  for  years,  and  to  know  him  long  and  well  was  but 
to  know  him  with  increasing  esteem  and  admiration. 


31 

As  a  jurist,  his  integrity,  his  manliness,  and  his  legal  attainments  commanded 
confidence  and  respect,  and  his  death  called  forth  universal  grief  in  the  judicial 
district  over  which  he  presided. 

Our  association  with  him  as  trustee  of  the  Institution  for  the  Blind,  which 
began  June  4,  1877,  and  closed  when  his  life  ended,  was  characterized  by  unity  of 
thought  and  action.  We  ever  found  him  attentive  to  the  duties  of  his  office,  inter- 
ested in  the  affairs  of  the  institution,  and  anxious  for  its  welfare. 

In  our  intimate  acquaintance  with  him,  we  found  him  a  Christian  gentleman, 
easy  of  access,  pleasant  in  social  intercourse,  affable  in  his  demeanor,  cheerful  in 
mind,  though  at  times  a  great  sufferer,  and  always  hopeful  of  the  future. 

(Signed)  A.  C.  WADSWORTH, 

N.  W.  BRANSON. 

LEGISLATION. 

The  appropriations  for  current  expenses  were  as  follows: 

1879-80,  Ordinary  expense,  $21,000;  repairs  and  improve- 
ments  $1,000  00 

1880-81,  Ordinary  expense,  $25,000;  repairs  and  improve- 
ments  $1,000  00 

1881-82,  Ordinary  expense,  $22,000;  repairs  and  improve- 
ments   $1,500  00 

1882-83,  Ordinary  expense,  $25,000;  repairs  and  improve- 
ments   $1,500  00 

In  addition  to  the  usual  appropriations,  the  Legislature  of  1881 
made  the  following  special  appropriations: 

For  building  east  wing $33,000  00 

For  school  apparatus  and  musical  instruments 2,500  00 

For  building  barn,  coal-house  and  shop 12,000  00 

For  engine  and  laundry  machinery 1,440  00 

The  Legislature  of  1883  appropriated  as  follows: 

For  fence  on  east,  north,  and  west  side  of  grounds $1,200  00 

For  purchasing  twenty-two  acres  of  pasture  land . '. 2,500  00 

For  steam  mangle 550  00 

With  the  funds  thus  provided,  the  east  wing,  containing  twenty- 
eight  rooms,  the  inside  work  being  of  yellow  pine  finished  in  oil  and 
the  openings  between  the  wings  and  center  building  protected  by  iron 
fire-doors,  was  completed  in  time  for  the  opening  of  the  term  of 
1882-83. 

A  brick  workshop  two  stories  high  and  containing  eight  rooms, 
was  built,  it  being  located  a  little  northeast  of  the  east  wing  of  the 
main  building.  A  brick  barn  was  built  a  few  rods  in  the  rear  of  the 
boiler-house,  and  between  the  boiler-house  and  the  barn,  was  erected 
a  substantial  coal-house.  When  these  improvements  had  been  made 
ajid  settlements  had  been  made  with  the  contractors,  there  remained 
in  the  treasury,  of  the  $12,000  appropriated,  $1.08. 

Twenty-two  acres  of  most  excellent  pasture  land,   about  half  a 


32 

mile  northeast  of  the  buildings,  was  purchased,  and  this  continues 
to  furnish  ample  summer  feed  for  the  eighteen  to  twenty  cows 
necessary  to  supply  milk  for  the  inmates  of  the  institution. 

Half  a  mile  of  substantial  fence  was  built  which  is  yet  standing, 
and  needs  but  little  repair.  The  drain  was  provided  and  the  neces- 
sary laundry  machinery  purchased. 

On  June  9,  1881,  Miss  Susan  Draper  was  elected  teacher  of 
music  (piano),  which  position  she  has  filled  acceptably  since  that 
date. 

October  11,  1882,  Miss  A.  L.  Nichols  (blind)  was  employed  as 
a  teacher  in  the  primary  division.  She  resigned  in  1885. 

October  10,  1883,  Miss  Annie  Martin  was  employed  in  the  liter- 
ary department.  She  resigned  in  1887.  On  the  same  date,  Miss 
Kate  Smith  was  employed  half  her  time  as  teacher  of  vocal  music, 
and  Mrs.  Annie  Smith  two-fifths  of  her  time  as  teacher  of  organ. 
Mrs.  Kate  Smith  Dummer  and  Mrs.  Annie  Smith  resigned  in 
1885. 

The  number  of  pupils  enrolled  was  as  follows : 

Term  of  1880-81 120  pupils.        Term  of  1881-82. .  .128  pupils. 

Term  of  1882-83 ....  157  pupils.        Term  of  1883-84. . .  168  pupils. 


1884  TO  1888. 
TRUSTEES. 

A.  C.  WADSWORTH,  Jacksonville,  President, 

N.  W.  BKANSON,  Petersburg,  J.  M.  DAVIS,  Carrollton. 

DR.  F.  W.  PHILI-IPS,  Superintendent. 

On  the  death  of  Dr.  Davis,  in  1885,  Hon.  Benjamin  F.  Funk  of 
Bloomiugton  was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy.  In  the  report  to 
Governor  Oglesby.  dated  September  30,  1886, we  find  the  following: 

"  We  have  lost  from  our  Board,  by  death,  Dr.  J.  M.  Davis  of  Carrollton,  a  man 
worthy  and  well  qualified  for  the  position  he  occupied,  who  was  interested  in  the 
work  of  educating  the  blind  and  whose  loss  we  regret." 

LEGISLATION. 

The  appropriations  for  current  expenses  were  as  follows : 

1883-84,  Ordinary  expense,  $32,000;  repairs  and  improve- 
ments   $1,000  00 

1884-85,  Ordinary  expense,  $32,000;  repairs  and  improve- 
ments   $1,500  00 

1885-86,  Ordinary  expense,  $30,000;  repairs  and  improve- 
ments   $1,500  00 

1886-87,  Ordinary  expense,  $30,000;  repairs  and  improve- 
ments ..  $1,500  00 


33 

In  addition  to  the  usual  appropriations,  the  Legislature  of  1885 
made  the  following  special  appropriations: 

For  the  construction  of  a  refrigerator  and  storehouse $4,000  00 

For  the  extension  of  the  sewer 500  00 

For  the  purchase  of  a  pipe-organ 3,000  00 

With  the  funds  thus  provided,  the  sewer  was  extended  and 
a  pipe-organ,  a  most  excellent  instrument  built  by  Hook  & 
Hastings  of  Boston,  Mass.,  was  put  in  place  and  used  for  the  first 
time  December  25,  1885.  The  amount  appropriated  for  a  storehouse 
and  refrigerator  was  unsatisfactory  to  the  trustees  and  to  the  Super- 
intendent. Nevertheless  they  proceeded  to  build  as  best  they 
could,  the  building  erected  being  of  brick,  twenty-two  feet  by  sixty 
feet  and  two  stories  in  height  and  situated  northwest  of  the  main 
building. 

TEACHEES. 

On  the  resignation  of  Mrs.  Alice  Dickey  Harsha  in  the  summer 
of  1884,  Mrs.  Mary  Burr,  widow  of  Judge  A.  G.  Burr,  was  em- 
ployed to  fill  the  vacancy.  Of  this  appointment  Dr.  Phillips  says  in 
his  report  to  the  trustees:  "  It  affords  me  the  greatest  pleasure  to 
thus  remember  the  kindness  of  Judge  Burr  in  his  intercourse  with 
those  connected  with  the  Institution,  and  his  faithfulness  to  his 
duties  as  a  trustee."  Mrs.  Burr  continued  her  work  as  a  teacher 
until  the  summer  of  1891. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  term  1885-86  four  newteachers  were  em- 
ployed: Prof.  Blanpied  who  was  musical  director  for  one  year  and 
Mr.  Ira  William  Davenport  who  was  employed  in  the  literary  de- 
partment until  1887 ;  George  R.  Parker,  a  former  pupil  of  the  Insti- 
tution and  Mrs.  Mollie  Phillips.  Mrs.  Phillips  resigned  in  1887. 
Mr.  Parker  is  still  numbered  among  the  teachers  in  the  literary  de- 
partment. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  term  1886-87,  Miss  Anne  Wakely  was 
employed  as  teacher  in  the  literary  department  and  Miss  Emma 
Des  Plaines,  a  former  pupil,  as  a  teacher  of  music.  Prof.  Wallace 
P.  Day  was  employed  as  musical  director.  Miss  Wakely  taught  one 
year  and  Miss  Des  Plaines  four  years.  |Prof.  Day,  who  had 
previously  had  several  years  experience  as  teacher  of  the  blind  in 
Canada  still  remains  at  the  head  of  the  musical  department. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  term  1887-88,  Mrs.  Eliza  Caldwell,  Miss 
Mattie  Bevans,  and  Miss  Lydia  Hamilton  took  their  places  as  teach- 
ers. Mrs.  Caldwell  taught  the  girls  of  the  intermediate  division 


34 

till  the  summer  of  1891.  Miss  Hamilton  had  charge  of  the  senior 
division  for  five  years.  She  resigned  on  account  of  serious  ill 
health.  Miss  Bevans  taught  the  intermediate  class  of  boys  until 
1890.  During  the  term  of  1890-91,  she  taught  mathematics  to  the 
pupils  of  all  grades  between  the  kindergarten  and  the  high  school, 
and  since  that  time  has  taught  geography  to  the  same  classes. 

NUMBER  OF  PUPILS  ENROLLED. 

Term  of  1884-85 150         Term  of  1885-86 168 

Term  of  1886-87 186         Term  of  1887-88 171 

DEATH  OF  SUPT.  F.  W.  PHILLIPS. 

On  January  17,  1888,  after  a  painful  illness,  Dr.  F.  W.  Phillips 
passed  to  his  reward.  There  was  a  special  session  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  called  for  January  19,  to  take  appropriate  action  concern- 
ing the  death  of  the  Superintendent.  Mr.  W.  S.  Phillips  was 
elected  Secretary  of  the  Board  and  the  following  tribute  proposed 
and  offered  for  adoption  by  Hon.  N.  W.  Branson  was  spread  upon 
the  records: 

"  The  Board  of  Trustees  convened  in  special  session  immediately 
after  the  sad  but  sacred  duties  pertaining  to  the  final  interment 
of  the  late  Superintendent  of  this  institution,  feeling  acutely 
the  magnitude  of  our  loss  would  pay  our  heart-felt  tribute  to 
the  memory  of  the  deceased." 

"  Whatever  honors  can  be  paid  to  the  memory  of  Dr.  F.  W. 
Phillips  will  be  worthily  bestowed.  No  tribute  which  affection 
may  dictate  can  be  worded  in  language  too  strong.  The  late  super- 
intendent fully  appreciated  the  responsibility  resting  upon  him  in 
ministering  to  the  mental,  moral,  and  physical  welfare  of  the  pupils 
under  his  charge;  and  he  gave  to  the  discharge  of  his  duties 
his  best  energies.  His  heart  was  filled  with  sympathy  for 
those  whose  misfortunes  made  them  the  worthy  recipients  of  this 
noble  public  charity.  With  love  for  this  special  work  and  with  a 
mind  fully  equipped  by  nature  for  the  discharge  of  high  pub- 
lic trusts,  he  gave  himself  up,  with  entire  singleness  of  purpose,  to 
the  performance  of  duty." 

"In  the  management  of  pupils,  he  was  quick  to  foresee  and  prompt 
to  provide  for  their  wants.  Courteous,  kind,  and  affectionate,  in 
his  intercourse  with  them,  he  yet  could  be  firm  as  the  occasion 
might  demand,  and  was  always  just.  His  relations  with  all 
who  were  in  any  way  associated  with  him  were  of  the  most  kindly 
character." 

"As  an  executive  officer  he  displayed  rare  ability.  The  institu- 
tion grew  and  expanded  under  his  wise  and  prudent  administration, 
and  attained  the  measure  of  usefulness  which  its  founders  and 


35 

prompters  had  in  view.  The  public  funds  were  applied  exclusively 
to  their  proper  uses  as  contemplated  by  the  law  and  were  expended 
with  economy,  with  sagacity,  and  with  unquestionable  integrity. 
Under  his  thoughtful  and  efficient  management,  the  entire  institu- 
tion in  all  its  branches  and  departments  worked  like  a  perfect  piece 
of  mechanism  without  jar  or  friction." 

"  Our  Superintendent  was  a  man  of  principle  and  of  purity ;  stain- 
less in  character  and  spotless  in  reputation ;  remarkable  for  the  great 
variety  and  extent  of  his  attainments;  and  he  exemplified  in  himself 
the  highest  attributes  of  domestic  life." 

"Although  his  life  was  lengthened  out  to  three-score  years  yet  the 
death  of  an  upright  and  useful  man,  however  long  deferred,  comes 
always  too  soon,  but  we  are  not  without  consolation  in  the  recollec- 
tion of  his  many  virtues  and  in  the  reflection  that  it  was  our  happy 
privilege  to  have  been  so  intimately  associated  with  him  in  his 
labor  of  love;  and  we,  the  members  of  this  Board,  counting  ourselves 
as  not  the  least  affectionate  among  the  many  friends  of  our  departed 
brother,  will  cherish  with  unfailing  tenderness  and  love,  his  precious 
memory  and  the  priceless  inheritance  of  his  virtues." 

(Signed)      A.  C.  WADS  WORTH, 
B.  F.  FUNK, 
N.  W.  BRANSON. 

At  the  time  of  Dr.  Phillips'  death  blind  persons  to  the  number 
of  nine  hundred  and  three  had  availed  themselves  of  the  privileges 
of  the  institution  and  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  were  present. 


1888  TO  1890. 
BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES,  1888. 

A.  C.  WADSWORTH,  Jacksonville,  President, 

N.  W.  BRANSON,  Petersburg,       B.  F.  FUNK,  Bloomington. 

W.  S.  PHILLIPS,  Superintendent. 

On  May  27,  1888,  Mr.  W.  S.  Phillips,  son  of  Dr.  F.  W.  Phillips 
was  elected  superintendent.  Fourteen  years  of  the  life  of  Mr. 
Phillips  had  been  spent  at  the  institution.  He  had  been  book- 
keeper and  purchasing  agent  and  was  familiar  with  the  details  of  the 
work  in  every  department. 

To  the  arduous  labors  of  his  new  position  he  devoted  all  his 
energies.  He  made  apparent  to  the  members  of  the  Thirty-sixth 
General  Assembly  the  needs  of  the  institution  the  result  of  which 
was  increased  appropriations  for  ordinary  expense  and  generous 
provision  for  necessary  improvements. 


36 

LEGISLATION REGULAR  APPROPRIATION. 

1887-88,  Ordinary  expense,  $32,000;  repairs  and   improve- 
ments  $1,500  00 

1888-89,  Ordinary  expense,  $32,000;   repairs  and  improve- 
ments   1,500  00 

1889-90,  Ordinary   expense,  $38,000;  repairs  and  improve- 
ments  2,000  00 

SPECIAL  APPROPRIATIONS. 

Legislature  of  1887: 

For  paving  one-half  the  width  of  street $3,400  00 

For  building  laundry  and  purchasing  appliances 5,000  00 

For  fire-escapes 1,200  00 

Legislature  of  1889: 

For  repairs  to  cornice $  1,000  00 

For  piano-tuning  and  repair  department 3,000  00 

For  cottage  for  girls 18,000  00 

For  covered  walk  for  girls 1,000  00 

For  repairs  to  chapel 4,350  00 

With  these  funds,  work  was  done  and  buildings  erected  as  fol- 
lows: 

East  State  Street  (to  the  center  of  the  street),  in  front  of  the 
grounds  of  the  institution,  was  paved  with  vitrified  brick.  A  brick 
laundry,  thirty  by  «ixty  feet  was  erected  and  equipped  with  all 
needed  appliances;  complete  fire-escapes  were  provided  for  the 
main  building.  The  cornice  of  the  main  building  was  thoroughly 
repaired.  Of  the  $1,000  appropriated  for  this  purpose,  $455.97 
reverted  to  the  state  treasury. 

A  most  elegant  building  was  erected  near  the  west  end  of  the 
grounds.  This  edifice  is  of  brick  and  is  known  as  the  Girls'  Cot- 
tage. It  is  now  (1893),  occupied  by  four  of  our  teachers  and 
about  forty  blind  girls,  there  being  from  two  to  four  in  each  room. 
In  this  building  the  pupils  do  their  own  "  room- work." 

The  repairs  to  the  chapel  were  made  necessary  by  a  serious  set- 
tling of  the  floor,  and  a  fear  of  dangerous  imperfection  in  the  walls 
themselves.  The  settling  occurred  when  there  was  a  large  audience 
upon  the  floor,  and  through  the  presence  of  mind  of  the  Superin- 
tendent, W.  S.  Phillips,  a  serious  catastrophe  was  averted.  Com- 
petent advice  was  secured  and  the  chapel  (and  consequently  the 
dining-room  beneath  it)  was  greatly  enlarged  and  made  thorough- 
ly substantial  and  secure. 

An  attractive  exercise  walk  was  built  with  the  $1,000  appropri- 
ated for  this  purpose. 


38 

With  regard  to  the  expenditure  of  the  $3,000  appropriated  for 
the  piano-tuning  and  repair  department,  there  was  some  slight  mis- 
understanding between  the  Secretary  of  the  Commissioners  of 
Public  Charities  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  Superintendent  and 
trustees  on  the  other  hand.  It  resulted  in  the  expenditure  of  this 
money  for  the  most  part  for  tools  to  be  used  in  tuning  and  repair- 
ing, and  in  the  payment  of  the  salary  of  a  competent  teacher  in  tun- 
ing, for  several  years. 

It  is  not  improper  to  say  that  the  special  appropriations  made 
by  the  Legislature  of  1889,  were  secured  largely  through  the  ef- 
forts of  Mr.  Phillips,  and  that  the  improvements  that  were  thereby 
made  possible,  a  brief  description  of  which  appears  upon  the  pages 
immediately  preceding  this,  were  largely  due  to  his  enterprise  and 
administrative  ability.  The  Board  of  Trustees,  too,  during  this 
period  (Hon.  A.  C.  Wadsworth,  Judge  N.  W.  Branson,  and  Hon. 
B.  F.  Funk),  were  all  men  of  exceptional  worth  and  ability.  Alive 
to  the  interests  of  the  institution,  they  spared  neither  time  nor  ef- 
fort in  its  behalf.  In  spite  of  some  unpleasant  episodes,  the  his- 
torian is  obliged — is  pleased,  to  declare  that  this  was  a  period  of 
unusual  prosperity. 

TEACHERS    AND    OFFICERS. 

In  October,  1888,  Mr.  Charles  A.  Hinchee  was  employed  as 
boys'  supervisor  and  teacher  in  the  physical  culture  department. 
He  resigned  in  February,  1890,  and  Maj.  C.  E.  McDougall  was 
elected  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  term  1889-90  Thomas  Dower,  a  former 
pupil  who  had  been  acting  as  assistant  foreman  in  the  broom-shop, 
was  put  on  the  pay  roll. 

In  the  autumn  of  1889  Miss  Margaret  Taylor  was  employed  and 
put  in  charge  of  a  kindergarten.  The  Superintendent  selected  the 
largest  and  best  room  at  his  command  and  caused  it  to  be  fitted  up 
and  furnished  with  every  needed  appliance.  This  was  the  begin- 
ning of  the  kindergarten  work  in  the  institution.  It  should  continue 
as  long  as  the  institution  lasts.  Miss  Taylor  resigned  in  1891. 

NUMBER   OF   PUPILS    ENROLLED. 
Term  of  1888-89 171.      Term  of  1889-90 188. 

At  the  close  of  this  period,  blind  persons  to  the  number  of  nine 
hundred  and  seventy-eight  had  availed  themselves  of  the  privileges 
of  the  institution. 


39 

1890  TO  APRIL  1,  1893. 
BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES-1890. 

A.  C.  WADSWORTH,  Jacksonville,  President, 

N.  W.  BKANSON,  Petersburg,       BENJAMIN  F.  FUNK,  Bloomington. 
FRANK  H.  HALL,  Superintendent. 

On  July  1,  1890,  Mr.  Frank  H.  Hall,  who  had  had  twenty-five 
years'  experience  as  teacher  and  Superintendent  in  the  public 
schools  of  Illinois,  took  his  place  as  Superintendent  of  the  Institu- 
tion for  the  Blind  having  previously  made  a  brief  visit  to,  and  study 
of,  the  institutions  of  Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore, 
and  Louisville. 

LEGISLATION — REGULAR  APPROPRIATION. 

1890-91,  Ordinary  expense,  $38,000;  repairs  and  improve- 
ments   $2,000  00 

1891-92,  Ordinary  expense,  $40,000;  repairs  and  improve- 
ments  2,000  00 

1892-93,  Ordinary  Expense,  $40,000;  repairs  and  improve- 
ments   2,000  00 

SPECIAL  APPROPRIATIONS — 1891. 

For  constructing  and  furnishing  a  building  to  be  used  as 

a  dormitory  for  blind  shop-hands $12,000  00 

For  enlarging  and  repairing  the  boiler-house,  etc 3,640  00 

For  constructing  a  kitchen  and  bakery 7,500  00 

For  extra  repairs,  improvements  and  appliances  necessary 

to  provide  suitable  accommodations  for  sick  inmates    2,000  00 
For  purchasing  apparatus,  school  and  mechanical 3,000  00 

These  funds  have  been  for  the  most  part  expended. 

A  building  in  which  are  sleeping-rooms,  sitting-room  and  read- 
ing-room, sufficient  for  fifty  blind  men,  was  erected  a  few  rods  east 
of  the  main  building.  It  is  now  occupied  by  thirty-eight  men, 
while  two  rooms  are  used  for  instruction  and  practice  in  piano-tun- 
ing. The  foreman  of  the  shop  also  has  rooms  for  himself  and  wife 
in  this  building. 

A  new  sixteen-foot,  sixty-inch  boiler  was  set  and  the  boiler- 
house  enlarged,  so  that  when  it  shall  become  necessary  to  cast  aside 
the  three  fourteen-foot,  forty-eight-inch  boilers  now  in  use,  they 
may  be  replaced  with  boilers  equal  in  capacity  to  the  one  recently 
purchased.  A  large  double-acting  steam  pump  was  purchased, 
and  so  set  and  connected  that  water  may  be  drawn  from  either  of 
two  wells  or  from  the  city  water  mains,  and  thrown  into  the  boilers 
or  into  the  pipes  that  supply  water  for  ordinary  use  and  for  pro- 
tection against  fire. 


40 

An  ample  kitchen  and  bakery  were  provided,  a  twelve-foot  rotary 
oven  was  set  in  place,  in  which  all  our  baking  is  done.  At  present 
we  use  one  barrel  of  flour  each  day  while  school  is  in  session. 

Near  the  new  kitchen  a  convenient  store-room  was  provided,  and 
the  old  store-house  converted  into  a  hospital.  This  is  now  an  iso- 
lated building  two  stories  high  with  four  rooms,  besides  halls  and 
closets  on  the  first  floor.  These  rooms  are  a  boys'  ward,  a  girls' 
ward,  a  sleeping-room  for  nurses,  and  a  kitchen.  Ordinarily  the 
rooms  on  the  first  floor  furnish  sufficient  accommodation  for  our  sick 
inmates;  but  in  case  of  severe  illness,  epidemic  or  contagious 
disease,  the  second  floor  can  be  occupied. 

With  the  $3,000  for  purchasing  apparatus,  we  have  provided 
valuable  broom  machinery  for  the  shop,  philosophical  apparatus 
and  physiological  models  for  the  high  school,  specimens  in  natural 


THE    HALL    BRAILLE-WRITER. 

history  for  all  departments,  and  appliances  for  the  kindergarten.  A 
complete  printing  outfit  has  been  provided.  This  includes  movable 
type  for  printing  ''Boston  Line  "  (raised  letters),  New  York  Point 
(literature  and  music),  and  Braille  music;  a  small  "Army  Press," 
and  a  large  Kidder  hand- press.  Under  the  direction  of  the  Super- 
intendent, a  machine  for  writing  Braille  has  been  constructed  by 
which  the  pupil  can  write  many  times  as  fast  as  he  could  write  with 
a  "  stylus  and  tablet,"  with  the  further  advantage  of  having  what 
he  has  written  in  a  convenient  position  to  be  read.  This  machine  is 
known  as  the  Hall  Braille-writer.  With  these  machines  the  pupils 
solve  their  problems  in  algebra  and  write  their  letters  and  school 
exercises.  Although  the  first  machine  was  not  completed  till  May 


42 

27,  1892,  twenty -five  are  now  in  use  in  this  institution,  and  about 
seventy-five  have  been  constructed  and  sold  to  other  institutions 
and  to  blind  people.  Fourteen  are  in  use  in  the  Boston  school, 
nine  in  St.  Louis,  twelve  in  Philadelphia,  six  in  Alabama,  two  in 
California,  five  have  been  shipped  to  England,  and  the  remainder  to 
private  individuals  in  different  parts  of  the  United  States. 

A  machine  has  also  been  constructed  (the  Hall  Stereotype  - 
maker,  cut  on  page  43),  by  means  of  which  work  can  be  written  on 
copper  plates.  These  plates  can  be  used  as  stereotypes  for  printin  g 
with  an  ordinary  press.  Thousands  of  copies  can  be  printed  from 
each  plate.  Several  hundred  such  plates  have  been  made,  most  of 
the  work  of  preparing  them  having  been  done  by  blind  persons.  Al- 
though this  machine  was  not  completed  until  January  4,  1893,  a 
similar  one  is  now  in  use  in  tile  St.  Louis  School  for  the  Blind,  and 
another  will  be  shipped  to  the  Philadelphia  school  in  a  few  days. 

This  appropriation  also  enabled  us  to  purchase  two  Hammond 
typewriters,  three  Remingtons  and  ten  Merritts.  Our  "  typewriting 
room "  contains,  besides  the  typewriters  here  mentioned,  six 
Braille-writers;  and  nearly  one  hundred  pupils  receive  instruction 
and  practice  on  one  or  more  of  these  machines  daily. 

TEACHERS. 

Miss  Edith  Paxton  was  employed  as  assistant  in  the  high 
school  at  the  beginning  of  the  term  1891-92.  Before  the  end  of  the 
year  her  health  failed,  and  her  physician  advised  rest.  She  was  not 
able  to  return  at  the  beginning  of  the  next  year,  but  gradually  be- 
came weaker,  and  on  Saturday  evening,  January  21,  1893,  a  few 
hours  after  caressing  a  little  blind  boy  that  had  called  to  "  see  "  her, 
she  fell  asleep.  It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  the  blind  chil- 
dren of  Illinois  lost  a  most  faithful  friend  when  Miss  Edith  passed 
to  her  long  home. 

Mrs.  Mary  Redick  Bayly,  who  had  been  employed  as  a  teacher 
in  the  Ohio  Institution  many  years  ago,  accepted  the  position  of 
kindergartener  in  the  fall  of  1891.  She  served  the  blind  of  the 
state  most  industriously  and  conscientiously  for  one  year. 

NUMBER    OF    PUPILS    ENROLLED. 

Term  of  1890-91 217        Term  of  1891-92 241 

AVERAGE    DAILY    ATTENDANCE. 
Term  of  1890-91 . .  . .  186        Term  of  1891-92 . .  . .  216 


43 


THE    HALL    STEREOTYPE-MAKER. 

With  this  machine  a  copper  stereotype  may  be  written  in  Braille  (either 
English  or  American)  almost  as  rapidly  as  one  can  write  on  paper  with  the  Hall 
Braille-writer.  Either  single  plates,  or  double  plates  for  interlining,  may  be 
written  upon  it.  The  machine  is  simple  and  substantial  in  its  construction,  and 
requires  but  little  skill  to  operate  it.  One  of  the  pupils  of  the  Illinois  Institution 
for  the  Blind,  after  a  few  hours'  practice,  wrote  four  lines  of  a  familiar  hymn,  on 
a  copper  plate  of  sufficient  thickness  to  "  stand  up  "  under  thousands  of  impres 
sions,  in  one  and  one-half  minutes. 


44 

MARCH  25,   1893 — PRESENT  CONDITION  or  THE  SCHOOL. 

There  are  now  212  pupils  in  attendance.  Of  these,  thirty-six 
are  men  in  the  shop  department,  and  five  are  women  in  the  sewing- 
rooms.  Of  the  remaining  171,  ninety-one  are  males  and  eighty  are 
females. 

The  entire  enrollment  from  the  opening  of  the  school  in  1849 
up  to  the  present  time,  is  1,141. 

LITERARY    DEPARTMENT. 

In  this  department  there  are  three  divisions:  First,  the  kinder- 
garten and  primary  grades;  second,  the  intermediate  and  gram- 
mar grades;  third,  the  high  school. 

The  second  division  is  subdivided  into  four  sections  of  boys  and 
four  sections  of  girls. 

The  teachers  and  their  terms  of  service  are  as  follows: 

HIGH    SCHOOL. 

Prof.  L.  M.  Coates,  one  year. 

DIVISION  2. 

Teacher  of  geography,  Miss  Mattie  Bevaus,  six  years;  teacher 
of  reading  and  history,  Miss  Tillie  Johnson  (blind),  two  years; 
teacher  of  arithmetic,  Prof.  George  B.  Parker  (blind),  eight  years; 
teacher  of  language,  Miss  Eva  Hewes,  two  years  as  assistant  ma- 
tron and  two  years  as  teacher. 

DIVISION  1. 

Miss  Harriet  Rees  assisted  by  the  more  advanced  pupils,  one 
year. 

Miss  Minnie  Bacon,  term  of  service  two  years,  is  employed  half 
of  her  time  as  teacher  in  the  "  typewriting  room,"  and  the  other 
half  as  assistant  in  the  high  school.  Miss  Nina  M.  Hall,  term  of 
service  one  year,  devotes  half  of  her  time  to  work  in  the  "  type- 
writing room." 

MUSIC    DEPARTMENT. 

Prof.  Day,  of  whom  mention  has  been  made  before,  is  in  charge 
of  the  music  department.  He  gives  instruction  to  several  pupils  on 
the  pipe-organ,  teaches  the  harmony  and  chorus  classes,  and 
arranges  all  the  music  work.  One  hundred  and  fifteen  pupils 


45 

receive  instruction  regularly  on  the  piano,  fifty-two  on  the  violin, 
ten  on  the  pipe-organ,  and  several  on  each  of  the  following  instru- 
ments: cornet,  violoncello,  viola,  piccolo,  French  horn,  euphonium, 
etc.  Thirty-five  have  instruction  in  harmony,  twenty-five  in  vocal 
music,  while  the  chorus  class  (taught  always  by  Prof.  Day)  usu- 
ally numbers  about  forty.  For  all  these  subdivisions,  most  of  the 
music  is  printed  on  our  own  press,  and  a  copy  put  into  the  hands  of 
each  learner.  Several  teachers  and  pupils  use  the  Stereotype- 
maker.  A  person  with  sight  (or  two  blind  persons)  can  prepare 
the  stereotype  for  a  page  of  music  in  fifteen  minutes.  Several 
hundred  copies  per  hoar  can  be  printed  on  our  Kidder  press. 

Prof.  Day's  assistants  and  their  terms  of  service  in  the  Illinois 
Institution  are  given  below: 

Prof.  M.  H.  Grist,  teacher  of  violin  and  other  orchestral  instru- 
ments, three  years;  Miss  Susie  Draper,  piano,  eleven  years;  Miss 
Alice  Clarke  (blind),  piano,  three  years;  Prof.  L.  M.  Hitt,  vocal, 
two  years;  W.  H.  Jackson,  teacher  of  piano-tuning  and  repairing, 
five  years;  Charles  Tederstrorn  (blind),  assistant  in  piano-tuning, 
two  years. 

WORK    DEPARTMENT. 

The  subdivisions  of  this  department  are  as  follows; 

1.  The  broom  shop. 

2.  The  girls'  work-rooms. 

3.  The  boys'  work-room. 

William  R.  Boyer  has  been  for  the  past  two  years  foreman  of 
the  broom  shop.  About  thirty  blind  men  are  here  employed  mainly 
as  apprentices  in  broom- making.  The  sales  from  the  shop  are  now 
over  $8,000  per  annum,  while  during  the  last  year  ten  men  have 
been  sent  out  to  attempt  to  earn  their  livelihood  as  broom-makers. 
Some  of  these  are  successful. 

In  the  girls'  work-rooms,  chair- caning,  sewing  by  hand  and  on 
machines,  crocheting,  knitting,  the  making  of  bead-work  and  horse 
nets  and  hammocks,  are  taught.  The  sales  from  these  rooms  amount 
to  from  $15  to  $25  per  month.  Miss  Jennie  Clark,  who  has  been 
connected  with  the  institution  for  many  years,  is  in  charge  of  one  of 
these  rooms,  and  Mrs.  Clyde  H.  Hall,  whose  term  of  service  is  three 
years,  is  in  charge  of  the  other. 

Mr.  Thomas  Dower  (blind)  is  in  charge  of  the  boys'  work- 
room. His  term  of  service  is  four  years.  In  this  room  the  boys 


46 

are  taught  chair-caning,  and  the  older  ones  receive  instruction  in 
horse-net  and  hammock-making. 

A  "Sloyd-room"  has  been  opened  this  year  in  which  attempts 
are  being  made  to  give  manual  training  by  working  in  wood.  The 
room  is  provided  with  a  lathe  and  full  sets  of  wood-working  tools. 
Mr.  Henry  Edwards,  a  pupil  in  the  high  school,  is  in  charge  of  this 
room. 

During  the  last  two  years  nearly  all  the  correspondence  of  the 
Superintendent's  office  has  been  done  with  a  Remington  typewriter 
operated  by  a  blind  pupil.  Mr.  Frank  Stoddard,  of  Hillsboro,  a 
member  of  the  class  of  1893,  has  done  a  large  part  of  this  work. 
He  writes  from  dictation  at  the  rate  of  thirty  to  forty  words  a 
minute,  and  his  work  is  unusually  free  from  errors.  When  several 
copies  of  a  paper  or  a  letter  are  required,  he  writes  first  from  dic- 
tation upon  the  Braille-writer  and,  from  the  embossed  copy  thus 
provided,  makes  the  requisite  number  of  copies  with  the  Remington. 

A  large  part  of  the  work  with  the  stereotype-maker  has  been 
done  by  Mr.  Arthur  Jewell,  a  young  man  who  graduated  from  the 
institution  in  the  class  of  1886,  and  who  returned  for  instruc- 
tion in  piano-tuning.  He  writes  in  copper  rapidly  and  accur- 
ately, reads  and  corrects  his  own  proof,  and  operates  the  press 
without  difficulty.  His  reading  of  proof,  with  the  fore  finger  of 
the  left  hand  on  his  embossed  copy,  and  the  fore  finger  of  the  right 
hand  on  his  stereotype,  thus  reading  simultaneously  both  the  copy 
and  the  proof,  called  forth  the  expression  from  an  observer,  "  It 
beats  eyes  all  to  pieces."  Since  January  4,  1893,  Mr.  Jewell, 
besides  doing  his  work  as  a  pupil,  has  written  several  hundred 
copper  plates. 

Mrs.  Frank  H.  Hall  has  been  Matron  for  the  last  three  years 
She  has  generously  taken  upon  herself  the  employment  and  manage- 
ment of  all  the  female  help,  and  has  personally  apportioned  and 
supervised  the  work  done  by  twenty-six  women.  In  this  she  has 
been  ably  assisted  by  Miss  Jean  Cunningham,  who  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  institution  sixteen  years,  and  has  had  charge  of 
the  kitchen  and  dining-room  for  three  years.  Her  success  in  this 
work  has  been  marked,  and  is  due  to  her  unusual  good  judg- 
ment, to  her  untiring  zeal,  and  to  her  almost  ceaseless  energy  and 
activity. 

Mrs.  Hall  has  given  personal  attention  to  the  purchasing  of 
and  keeping  in  order,  the  clothing  of  the  younger  pupils,  and  to 


47 

providing  for  the  many  wants  of  children  in  darkness  and  with- 
out a  mother's  care.  In  this  work  she  has  ever  found  a  most 
competent  assistant — one  whose  worth  can  not  be  told  in  words — 
in  Miss  Katie  Halpin,  who  has  been  employed  at  the  institution 
seven  years,  and  who,  during  the  last  three  years,  has  acted  the 
part  of  mother  to  twenty-five  or  ,thirty  blind  boys.  She  has 
washed  their  faces,  combed  their  hair  and  taught  them  to  do 
these  things  for  themselves.  She  has  taken  splinters  out  of  fing- 
ers, attended  to  sprains,  bumps,  cuts  and  bruises;  she  has  wiped 
away  tears  from  sightless  eyes  weeping  for  a  far-away  mother, 
listened  to  childish  complaints,  bathed  feverish  brows,  and  in  one 
instance,  at  the  touching  request  of  a  dying  boy,  she  took  him  in 
her  lap,  and  held  him  in  her  arms  while  his  spirit  passed  away 
from  earth.  Many  a  blind  boy  in  Illinois  will  never  forget  "  Miss 
Kathy." 

There  are  many  others  too  who  have  been  employed  here  who 
are  worthy  of  honorable  mention,  did  space  permit.  Miss  Jennie 
Clark,  who  has  been  employed  here  since  1876,  has  shown  much 
self-denial  and  patient  devotion  to  duty.  Miss  Alice  Smith,  who 
has  been  in  charge  of  the  younger  girls  for  the  past  two  years  has 
been  very  helpful,  and  attentive  to  the  wants  of  those  under  her 
charge.  Miss  Titia  Grant,  continuously  since  1885,  and  for  many 
years  prior  to  that  time  has  alike  served  the  interests  of  the  blind 
and  those  who  have  given  her  employment. 

Maj.  C.  E.  McDougall,  as  Boys'  Supervisor;  Byron  Gray,  as 
Superintendent  of  Construction  and  Repairs  (oftentimes — indeed 
usually — not  only  superintendent  but  laborer  as  well);  E.  C. 
Schureman  as  bookkeeper,  and  Clyde  H.  Hall  as  store-keeper  and 
purchasing  agent,  have  all  proved  themselves  competent  in  their 
several  departments,  and  in  a  high  degree  worthy  of  confidence 
and  esteem. 

The  writer  of  this  brief  history  is  aware  that  it  is  wanting  in 
a  most  essential  part,  yiz. :  the  record  of  what  has  been  accom- 
plished after  leaving  the  institution  by  those  who  have  enjoyed 
the  advantages  so  generously  provided  for  them  by  the  state. 

The  records  in  the  office  of  the  Superintendent,  bearing  upon 
the  subject,  are  so  incomplete,  and  the  time  allowed  for  prepara- 
tion of  this  sketch  so  short,  that  no  satisfactory  account  can  be 
given,  of  the  occupations  and  achievements  of  former  pupils.  This 
important  work  must  be  left  for  the  future  historian. 


48 

One  of  the  results  of  the  victory  of  the  Democratic  party  in 
the  elections  of  November,  1892,  was  the  resignation  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  Early  in  the  following  March,  Gov. 
Altgeld  appointed  their  successors  who  met  and  organized,  March 
31,  1893. 


BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES-1893. 
HON.  CHARLKS  A.  BARNES,  Jacksonville,  President, 
JUDGE  HENRY  PHILLIPS,  Virginia,       HON.  A.  L.  LOWE,  Robinson. 

By  request  of  the  new  Board  at  their  April  meeting,  Mr.  Frank 
H.  Hall  tendered  his  resignation  as  superintendent  to  take  effect 
July  1,  1893,  and  Rev.  W.  F.  Short,  D.  D.  was  appointed  to  fill  the 
vacancy. 


BRIEF    HISTORY 


ILLINOIS  SOUTHERN  HOSPITAL 


FOR     THE 


INSANE, 


LOCATED   AT 


ANNA,    ILLINOIS. 


1869-1893. 


Presented  by  the  ILLINOIS  BOARD  OF  WORLD'S 
FAIR  COMMISSIONERS. 


JOHN  MORRIS  COMPANY.  PRINTERS, 

Il8  AND  120  MONROH  STREET, 

CHICAGO. 


SOUTHERN  HOSPITAL  FOR  INSANE. 


In  the  year  1869,  the  same  year  in  "which  the  Northern  Hospital 
for  the  Insane  was  created,  the  General  Assembly  passed  "  An  act 
to  locate,  erect  and  carry  on  an  asylum  for  the  insane,"  which  was 
approved  by  Governor  Palmer,  April  16,  the  same  day  that  he  ap- 
proved the  sister  act.  The  two  measures  were,  in  fact,  part  of  a 
single  scheme,  and  were  supported  by  the  representatives  both  of 
the  northern  and  the  southern  ends  of  the  State.  The  title  "  Illi- 
nois Southern  Hospital  for  the  Insane "  was  not  conferred  until 
1875,  the  date  of  the  adoption  of  the  act  to  regulate  the  State  chari- 
table institutions. 

The  act  of  incorporation  provided  for  five  commissioners,  who 
were  to  select  and  purchase  a  site,  adopt  plans  and  have  entire 
charge  of  the  erection,  organization  and  management  of  the  institu- 
tion. These  commissioners  were  allowed  $5  each  per  day  for  their 
services  until  the  asylum  should  be  so  far  completed  as  to  receive 
insane  patients.  Naturally  enough,  the  work  of  construction 
dragged  its  slow  length  wearily  along.  The  Board  made  a  tour  of 
inspection  of  eastern  institutions,  for  which  they  charged  $2,000 
for  necessary  travelling  expenses  in  addition  to  their  salaries,  and 
when  they  made  their  first  report,  in  December,  1870,  they 


6 

had  expended  only  a  little  more  than  $50,000  out  of  an  appropria- 
tion of  $125,000,  of  which  $17,000  had  been  paid  for  land,  and  but 
$15,000  on  the  contract  for  building. 

The  location  selected  March  29,  1870,  was  a  tract  of  land  imme- 
diately north  of  the  town  of  Anna  and  east  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad.  It  contained  290  acres.  Nominally,  the  owners  deducted 
one-fifth  of  the  price  asked,  and  the  town  of  Anna  contributed  an- 
other fifth;  actually,  the  price  paid  was  the  full  value,  if  not  more, 
being  at  the  rate  of  $60  per  acre. 

The  plans  adopted  were  prepared  by  Messrs.  Schwartz  &  Dilger. 
The  contract  for  the  erection  of  the  north  wing  was  let  to  Richard 
Shinuick,  of  Cincinnati,  for  $115,000,  the  preliminary  excavations 
to  be  paid  for  by  the  cubic  yard,  in  addition  to  the  sum  named,  at 
an  estimated  cost  of  $10,000. 

The  General  Assembly,  in  1871,  legislated  the  commissioners 
out  of  office  and  provided  for  the  appointment  of  three  paid  com- 
missioners to  construct  the  Southern  Illinois  Insane  Asylum  and 
the  Southern  Normal  University.  The  new  Board  took  charge  May 
2,  1871;  at  that  time  the  basement  story  was  not  yet  finished.  On 
the  25th  of  July,  1871,  seeing  no  prospect  of  an  early  completion 
of  the  building,  they  notified  the  contractor's  securities  to  meet 
them  at  Anna  and  either  furnish  means  for  a  more  rapid  prosecu- 
tion of  the  work  or  surrender  the  contract.  The  securities  there- 
upon took  the  building  in  hand,  finished  it  at  their  own  cost,  and 
a  final  settlement  was  made  with  them  in  March,  1873. 

The  contract  for  the  rear  building  and  the  basement  story  of  the 
center  was  awarded  to  N.  L.  Wickwire,  of  Cairo,  June  13,  1872,  for 

®AC  TQO 
3pOo,  to6. 

The  appropriation  for  the  center  building  was  made  May  3, 
1873,  but  through  an  error  in  the  wording  of  the  act,  instead  of  its 


being  made  payable  from  the  levy  of  1872,  as  designed,  it  was 
made  payable  from  the  levy  of  1873,  and  so  was  not  available 
for  use  before  1874,  which  occasioned  a  delay  of  one  year  in  the 
commencement  of  work  under  the  contract.  Richard  Shinnick  was 
the  successful  bidder,  and  took  the  job  for  $84,000,  except  the  finish- 
ing of  the  fourth  story.  The  l.ast  payment  was  made  him  in  Sep- 
tember, 1875. 

With  the  completion  of  the  north  wing,  trustees  were  appointed 
by  the  Governor  in  July,  1873,  who  elected  Dr.  Richard  Dewey,  as- 
sistant physician  at  Elgin,  Superintendent.  He  at  first  accepted  the 
appointment  but  subsequently,  on  the  23d  of  September,  withdrew 
his  acceptance,  and  Dr.  A.  T.  Barnes,  of  Centralia  was  elected  in  his 
stead. 

The  north  wing  of  the  asylum  was  opened  for  the  reception  of 
patients,  December  15,  1873,  the  first  floor  being  reserved  for  the 
accommodation  of  officers  and  employes.  The  center  building  was 
completed  in  November,  1875,  furnished  and  occupied  in  January, 
1876,  and  the  entire  wing  was  then  surrendered  to  the  use  of  the 
patients. 

It  was  the  original  intention  of  the  Legislature  that  this  institu- 
tion should  be  an  asylum  for  the  care  of  the  incurable  insane,  but 
the  act  of  May  2,  1873,  placing  it  under  the  laws  regulating  the 
reception,  care  and  treatment  of  patients  at  Jacksonville,  changed 
its  character  in  this  regard. 

The  plans  for  the  center  building  and  south  wing  were  furnished 
by  Messrs.  Walsh  &  Jungenfeldt,  of  St.  Louis. 

The  contract  for  the  south  wing  was  taken  by  Thomas  L. 
Kempster,  of  Chicago,  July  25,  1875,  for  $89,723.65.  His  bid  was 
believed  at  the  time  to  be  too  low  and  so  it  proved.  He  failed  to 
pay  his  employes,  and  on  the  6th  of  June,  1876,  the  board  sus- 


8 

pended  payments  to  him,  and  made  all  payments  on*  his  account 
directly  to  the  parties  to  whom  the  same  were  due.  By  the  17th 
of  May,  1877,  he  was  unable  to  proceed  further,  the  amount  due 
him,  under  his  contract,  less  the  ten  per  cent,  guaranty  retained  by 
the  commissioners,  having  been  exhausted,  and  all  work  ceased. 
The  board  then  ordered  Col.  E.  H.  Sturgess,  superintendent  of 
construction,  to  complete  the  building  at  the  expense  of  the  contract- 
or and  his  sureties.  No  attempt  was  made  to  collect  the  excess  in 
its  cost,  however,  because  it  was  known  that  the  contractor  had 
already  lost  money  by  his  bargain  and  it  was  felt  to  be  unfair  to 
proceed  against  him.  The  building  commissioners  delivered  the 
south  wing  to  the  trustees,  November  8,  1877. 

Dr.  Barnes  resigned  the  superintendency,  July  1,  1878,  after 
nearly  five  years  service  and  on  the  6th  of  August,  Dr.  Horace 
Wardner,  of  Cairo,  was  elected  to  succeed  him;  he  assumed  the 
duties  of  the  position  in  September. 

The  greatest  difficulty  to  be  overcome  in  the  organization  of  the 
Hospital  was  the  securing  of  an  adequate  water  supply.  This  was 
sought  to  be  obtained  at  first  by  building  a  dam  and  catching  the  sur- 
face rainage  in  a  large  pond.  In  1879  connection  was  made  with  a 
"big  spring"  about  a  third  of  a  mile  southeast  of  the  building.  A 
large  settling  basin  and  filter  were  constructed  in  1883.  A  severe 
drought,  in  1887,  led  to  the  sinking  of  an  artesian  well. 

About  1  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  April  19,  1881,  the  north 
wing  took  fire,  from  some  undiscovered  cause,  and  was  totally  con- 
sumed. One  patient  perished  in  the  flames;  all  the  rest  were  res- 
cued. The  General  Assembly,  which  was  in  session  at  the  time, 
made  an  appropriation  of  $12,000  for  barracks  for  temporary  use, 
and  another  of  $90,000  for  rebuilding  the  wing.  Mr.  L.  D.  Cleve- 
land, of  Chicago,  was  employed  as  architect,  and  the  work  was  done 


11 

by  the  Hospital  itself  without  the  intervention  of  a  contractor.  The 
result  was  entirely  satisfactory.  While  the  work  was  in  progress 
the  male  patients  occupied  the  barracks,  the  chapel  and  one  section 
of  the  upper  floor  of  the  female  wing.  The  patients  liked  the  bar  - 
racks  and  at  the  next  session  of  the  Legislature  they  were  fitted  up 
for  permanent  use,  and  are  still  occupied.  By  this  means  the  ca- 
pacity of  the  Hospital  was  increased  at  a  very  trifling  expense. 

Electrical  lighting  was  introduced  in  June,  1886. 

In  1889  the  General  Assembly  appropriated  $120,000  for  the 
erection  of  additional  buildings  at  Anna,  to  accommodate  three  hun- 
dred patients.  Plans  submitted  by  Mr.  I.  C.  Coleman,  of  Jacksonville, 
were  adopted,  and  the  building  was  erected  without  a  contract,  by 
the  Hospital  itself. 

Dr.  Wardner  resigned  the  superintendency  in  January,  1890,  and 
was  succeeded  by  D.  E.  B.  Elrod  of  Flora.  The  change  of  ad- 
ministration resulted  in  a  general  reorganization,  including  the  as- 
sistant physicians,  matron,  farmer  and  other  subordinate  officials. 

Since  the  political  revolution  in  Illinois,  last  November,  a  new 
board  of  trustees  has  been  appointed  and  Dr.  Elrod  has  given  place 
to  Dr.  W.  C.  Luce. 

The  commissioners  and  trustees  have  baen  as  follows: 

John  Dougherty  Jouesboro,  1869  to  L871. 

Benjamin  L.  Wiley,  1869  to  1871. 

George  L.  Owen,  1869  to  1871. 

Eussel  Hinkley,  1869  to  1871. 

H.  D.  Kingsbury,  1870  to  1871. 

Elihu  Palmer,  Carbondale,  1871  to   1874. 

E.  H.  Sturgess,  Vandalia,  1871  to  1877. 
Hiram  Walker,  1873  to  1877. 

F.  M.  Malone,  Pana,  1874  to  1877. 


12 

Amos  Clark,  1875  to  1879. 

John  C.  Boyle,  1875  to  1877. 

C.  Kirkpatrick,  Anna,  1875  to  1881. 

W.  P.  Brunei-,  Metropolis,  1877  to  1881. 

E.  H.  Finch,  Anna,  1877  to  1891. 

John  E.  Detrich,  Sparta,  1877  to  1883. 

James  A.  Viall,  Carine,  1881  to  1887. 

James  Bottom,  Sparta,  1882  to  1893. 

William  H.  Boicourt,  Golconda,  1884  to  1893. 

Marshall  Gulp,  Anna,  1891  to  1893. 

The  following  gentlemen  have  been  employed  as  assistant  phy- 
sicians: 

Dr.  Frederick  W.  Mercer,  -     -  to  1879. 

Dr.  E.  D.  Converse,  18—  to  1878. 

Dr.  L.  E.  Stocking,  1878  to  1890. 

Dr.  W.  W.  Hester,  1879  to  1890. 

Dr.  A.  B.  Beattie,  1890  to  1893. 

Dr.  N.  J.  Benson,  1890  to  1893. 

The  entire  amount  appropriated  by  the  General  Assembly,  from 
the  beginning,  for  the  use  of  this  Hospital,  has  been  $2,785,022, 
namely:  $1,730,750  for  ordinary  expenses  or  maintenance,  and 
$1,044,272  for  other  purposes,  chiefly  for  construction  and  repairs. 

The  total  number  of  admissions,  to  June  30,  1892,  the  date  of 
the  last  published  report,  as  shown  by  the  register,  is  3,407.  The 
actual  number  is  less,  on  account  of  transfers  and  re-admissions,  and 
can  not  be  stated.  Of  this  number,  eight  hundred  and  eighty- 
four  have  been  discharged  recovered,  three  hundred  and  nine  much 
i  mproved,  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  improved,  five  hundred  and 
thirty-four  unimproved,  and  five  hundred  and  eleven  have  died. 
The  ratio  of  recoveries  to  total  discharges  has  been  thirty- six  per 


13 

cent. ;  improved,  twenty-two  per  cent. ;  unimproved,  twenty-two  per 
cent. ;  deaths,  twenty  per  cent. 

The  average  per  capita  cost  of  maintenance,  last  year,  was 
$166.63;  net  cost  to  the  state,  $151.65. 

The  average  number  of  inmates  last  year  was  eight  hundred  and 
two.  The  number  present,  March  31,  1893,  was  eight  hundred  and 
seventy-eight. 

The  general  appearance  of  this  Hospital  is  not  so  neat,  and  the 
discipline  is  not  so  strict,  as  in  the  other  State  hospitals,  but  the 
medical  results,  in  the  way  of  recoveries,  have  been  superior. 


ILLINOIS    STATE   BUILDING-WORLD'S   COLUMBIAN    EXPOSITION. 


BRIEF    HISTORY 


ILLINOIS  CENTRAL  HOSPITAL 


INSANE, 


LOCATED     AT 


3?ICKSONVILLE,    ILLINOIS, 


1847-1893. 


Presented  by  the  ILLINOIS  BOARD  OF  WORLD'S 
FAIR  COMMISSIONERS. 


JOHN  MORRIS  COMPANY,  PRINTERS, 

118  AND  120  MONROE  STREET, 

CHICAGO. 


HISTORY 

OF    THE 

ILLINOIS  STATE  HOSPITAL  FOE  THE  INSANE. 


The  Illinois  State  (now  Central)  Hospital  for  the  Insane  was  estab- 
lished through  the  efforts  of  the  eminent  philanthropist,  Miss 
Dorothy  L.  Dix.  In  the  year  1846,  she  spent  considerable  time  in 
visiting  various  parts  of  the  State  and  examining  into  the  number 
and  needs  of  the  insane  with  a  view  of  presenting  the  matter  to  the 
proper  authorities  for  action.  The  result  of  these  investigations 
was  the  preparation  of  a  memorial  to  the  State  Legislature  which 
was  presented  to  that  body  in  January,  1847. 

The  memorial  as  a  whole  forms  a  very  able  and  convincing  argu- 
ment in  favor  of  the  State  assuming  the  care  of  its  insane  citizens. 
It  was  based  upon  ttye  observations  of  Miss  Dix  and  urged  and 
backed  by  her  personal  efforts.  The  following  extracts  are  from 
this  interesting  document: 

"  Of  the  urgent  necessity  for  a  hospital  in  Illinois,  many  are 
sensible  who  will  read  these  pages;  but  there  are,  perhaps,  a  larger 
number  to  whose  minds  this  claim  presents  itself  under  the,  view  of 
no  serious  and  positive  obligation.  A  little  inquiry  will  satisfy  all 
who  doubt,  that  this  is  either  a  great  or  an  increasing  evil.  Illinois, 
according  to  the  years  since  the  country  was  settled,  has  a  full  pro- 
portion of  insane,  idiotic  and  epileptic  patients ;  not  numerous  enough 
merely  to  make  it  expedient  to  establish  a  hospital  appropriate  for 
their  care  and  cure,  for  their  own  protection,  and  the  protection  of 
others,  but  an  uncompromising  duty,  from  the  voice  of  whose  warn- 
ings and  admonitions  there  is  110  mode  of  escape  or  evasion.  Here 
humanity,  receiving  impulse  from  woe,  selfish  motives,  claiming  re- 
lief from  anxiety  and  perplexity,  which  never  cease  their  distractions, 
and  political  economy,  now  more  clamorous  than  ever,  combine  to 
hasten  your  efficient  action  upon  this  most  solemn  question.  A  few, 
the  timid  and  superficial  readers  of  their  fellow-men,  but  a  few,  will 
plead  against  appropriations  for  this  work  on  the  unsound  reasoning 


4 

that  their  constituents  will  disapprove  the  measure;  but  I  believe 
that  it  can  not  be  shown  that  the  people  at  large  ever  manifest  dis- 
pleasure when  their  representatives  appropriate  their  money  to  such 
objects  as  these.  The  citizens  of  Illinois,  as  other  States,  will  not 
be  found  backward  to  make  even  some  sacrifices,  should  these  be  re- 
quired, when  it  is  made  evident  that  great  sufferings  exist  within 
their  borders  which  they  have  the  ability  to  mitigate,  to  control,  and 
to  limit. 

In  the  poor-houses  and  county  jails  of  this  State,  I  have  not 
found,  at  the  periods  of  my  visits,  many  insane  persons;  but  I  have 
seen  many  in  private  dwellings,  in  "  cabins,"  in  "pens,"  and  wander- 
ing at  large;  often,  very  often,  bearing  the  marks  of  rude  assault, 
and  the  effect  of  exposure  to  storms  and  frost.  In  the  poor-house  at 
Galena  the  master  showed  me  through  a  small  apartment  occupied  by 
poor  patients  ill  of  fever,  of  consumption,  and  others  confined  merely 
through  accident,  broken  limbs,  etc.,  passing  through  the  adjacent 
apartment,  also  small,  I  perceived  a  man -cage  constructed  on  one 
side,  with  strong  perpendicular  bars,  inclosing  a  space  about  six 
feet  by  three.  "There,  madam,"  said  the  keeper  with  emotion, 
"there  is  the  only  place  I  have  for  keeping  the  furiously  insane,  when 
they  are  sent  to  the  poor-house — a  place  not  fit  for  a  dog — a  pl.ice 
where  they  become  daily  worse,  and  where  their  cries,  vociferations, 
and  blasphemies,  with  other  offenses,  drive  all  peace  and  quiet  from 
the  place.  The  sick  have  no  respite,  and  the  family  at  large  no  rest.  We 
want,  madam,  a  hospital  in  our  State,  and  the  people  ought  to  know  it. 
It  costs  as  much  again  and  three-fold  as  much  to  keep  them  here  as 
it  would  in  an  asylum,  and  when  we've  done  our  best,  they  are  in  a 
dreadful  condition.  We  got  up  a  subscription  in  town,  and  sent  our 
last  madman,  under  charge  of  keepers,  home  to  his  friends  in  Michi- 
gan— he  was  furiously  crazy,  and  I  don't  know  how  they  can  man- 
age him." 

The  gentlemen  who  represent  severally  the  counties  of  Menard, 
Mason,  Fulton,  McDonough,  Schuyler,  Cass,  Pike  and  Morgan, 
can,  I  believe,  render  you  such  facts  respecting  the  sufferings 
of  the  insane  in  their  districts,  as  will  not  only  sustain  my  im- 
portunity, but  carry  the  conviction  to  the  minds  of  any,  if  there  be 
any,  who  may  question  the  necessities  of  this  class.  I  can  not  show 
you  the  numbers,  by  exact  numerical  computation,  which  claim 
your  provident  care.  I  am  convinced  that  many  cases  have  been 
overlooked,  but  I  have  seen  more  than  enough  to  convince  me  that 


no  appeals  in  behalf  of  these  can  at  this  time  be  too  earnest.  In 
the  southern,  as  in  the  central  and  northern  counties,  most  distress- 
ing cases,  of  persons  whose  limbs  had  been  frozen,  both  through  ex- 
posure while  wandering  in  the  country  during  inclement  seasons 
and  from  being  shut  up  in  small  cells  or  pens,  without  clothing  or 
fire  to  temper  the  cold  in  the  one,  or  protect  from  pitiless  storms  in 
the  other. 

There  is  at  this  time  in  Morgan  county  a  man  who  has  been 
furiously  mad,  most  of  the  time,  for  many  years.  Since  he  became 
insane,  he  has  been  supported  at  large  expense  by  the  county.  His 
sister  and  brother-in  law  have  chai'ge  of  him.  A  country  officer 
writes  to  me  concerning  this  poor  creature,  as  follows : 

"  Fanning  is  in  a  most  wretched  condition,  being  kept  more  like 
a  wild  beast  than  a  human  being."  I  have,  together  with  several 
citizens  of  Jacksonville,  visited  this  maniac.  Those  who  are  paid  by 
the  county  for  taking  charge,  seemed  to  me  to  err  through  incapacity 
and  entire  ignorance  how  to  control  him,  rather  than  through  wilful 
neglect  and  inhumanity.  His  sister  said  to  me,  "he  is  a  sight  of 
trouble,  and  costs  a  dreadful  deal — but  we  had  rather  take  care  of  him, 
than  to  leave  him  to  strangers,  because  we  are  kinder,  and  treat  him 
better  than  they  would."  Now  for  the  comfort,  the  situation,  the 
treatment  of  this  unoffending  man,  who,  before  the  accident  which 
induced  insanity,  was  characterized,  as  is  testified  by  those  who 
knew  him,  for  intelligence,  industry  and  correct  habits. 

It  was  an  intensly  hot  day  last  summer,  when  I  visited  Fanning. 
He  was  confined  in  a  roofed  pen,  which  enclosed  an  area  of  about 
eight  feet  by  eight — probably  a  few  inches  over.  The  interstices  be- 
tween the  unhewn  logs,  freely  admitted  the  scorching  rays  of  the 
sun  then;  as  they  now  afford  admission  to  the  frequent  rains,  the 
driving  snow  and  the  pinching  frost.  He  was  without  bed  and 
without  clothing ;  his  food,  of  the  coarsest  kind,  was  passed  through 
a  space  between  the  logs;  "no  better,"  said  a  neighbor,  "than  the 
hogs  are  fed.." 

Some  sort  of  coarse  bed-clothing  and  garments,  at  times  were 
supplied,  but  usually  not.  His  feet  had  been  frozen,  and  had 
perished;  upon  the  shapeless  stumps,  he  could,  aided  by  some  mo- 
tion of  his  shoulders,  raise  his  body  partially  against  the  side  of  the 
pen.  This  wretched  place  was  cleaned  "  once  in  a  week  or  fortnight," 
in  mild  weather ;  not  so  in  the  wet,  cold,  wintry  seasons.  I  was  told 
that  when  the  pen  was  opened  for  this  purpose,  the  help  of  neighbors 


6 

was  requisite:  "We  have  men  called,  and  they  go  in  and  tie 
him  strongly  with  ropes,  and  get  him  on  the  ground,  and  then  they 
clean  the  place  and  him,  by  throwing  over  pails  of  water."  Of 
course  no  fire  is  here  introduced  in  cold  winter  weather;  but  a 
singular  expedient  has  been  adopted,  as  horrible  as  it  is  singular — 
Beneath  the  pen  is  excavated  a  pit  about  six  feet  deep  and  six  on 
either  side.  This  dreary,  ghastly  place  is  entered  through  a  trap- 
door; neither  light,  heat,  nor  ventilation  there;  but  there  is  to  be 
found  a  pining,  desolate,  suffering  maniac,  whose  piteous  groans 
and  frantic  cries  would  move  to  pity  the  hardest  heart. 

Gentlemen,  as  you  read  this  terrible  narrative,  and  if  you  choose 
may  visit  the  miserable  subject  of  it,  place  yourselves  for  a  few 
dreadful  moments  in  his  situation — realize,  if  you  can,  some  portion, 
it  needs  will  be  a  small  part,  of  his  sufferings;  consider  that  these 
are  spread  over  years  gone  by,  and  may  drag  through  years  to  come, 
if  no  hospital  unfolds  its  portals  to  receive  and  give  relief  for  such 
deep  distress.  The  Saviour,  whose  disciples  we  profess  to  be,  left 
one  simple,  infallible  rule,  as  a  direction  of  the  acts  of  man  to  his 
fellow-man,  viz. :  "  As  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye 
even  so  to  them."  I  have  laid  before  you  one  case,  yet  not  reveal- 
ing half  its  horrors:  it  varies  but  very  little  from  many  I  could  ad- 
duce ;  the  list  of  which  other  persons  can  extend,  both  here  and 
abroad. 

But  one  effective  remedy  for  these  woes  is  presented ;  it  can  only 
be  found  in  a  well-established,  skillfully-conducted  hospital. 

Legislators  of  Illinois,  upon  your  action  on  this  question  rest 
the  peace  and  happiness,  the  usefulness  and  the  lives  of  thousands 
of  your  fellow-citizens;  nay,  your  own  immediate  interests  herein 
are  indissolubly  intertwined.  Who  shall  say  that  his  mountain 
standeth  firm,  and  that  he  is  securely  anchored  upon  the  rock? 
Who  shall  say  that  the  familiar  friend,  the  revered  parent,  the  child 
of  his  affections,  the  beloved  wife  of  his  bosom,  aye,  even  he  him- 
self, may  not  claim  the  guarding  care  now  solemnly  as  urgently  so- 
licited for  others?  Timely  provide  for  maladies  which  can  not  be 
wholly  averted,  but  whose  dire  distresses  may  be  mitigated  and 
oftener  healed. 

Rise  not  from  the  grave  and  often  perplexing  deliberations, 
which  claim  your  legislation,  till  you  have  added  to  acts  bearing 
merely  on  the  political  condition  of  your  State,  this  work  of  per- 
emptory obligation  to  humanity.  Retire  not  from  these  halls,  in 


which  honor,  integrity  and  justice  should  rule,  till  you  have  rendered 
this  noble  service  to  your  fellow-citizens;  a  service  which  shall  be 
commemorated  long  after  you  shall  have  passed  from  the  active 
stage  of  this  life ;  a  service,the  holy  recollection  of  which  will  assist  to 
smooth  your  path  through  the  "  dark  valley" ;  and  which  the  Record- 
ing Angel  shall  inscribe  in  the  Book  of  Life:  "  For  the  memory  of 
righteous  acts  shall  never  perish,  neither  in  this  world,  nor  in  that 
which  is  to  come  ?  Respectfully  submitted, 

D.  L.  Dix. 
SPKINGFIELD,  ILL.,  January,  1847. 

Hon.  William  Thomas  of  Morgan  county,  immediately  introduced 
a  bill  providing  for  the  appointment  of  nine  trustees,  who  were  au- 
thorized to  select  a  suitable  site,  purchase  land,  erect  buildings  for 
the  accommodation  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  patients  and  organize 
the  institution  under  proper  officers.  This  bill  became  a  law  March 
1,  1847.  One  of  the  provisions  of  this  bill  provides  that  the  pro- 
ceeds of  a  tax  on  the  taxable  property  of  this  State  of  one-fifth  of  a 
mill  on  the  dollar's  worth  to  be  continued  for  three  years  to  consti- 
tute a  fund  for  the  construction  of  the  hospital. 

On  the  20th  of  March,  1847,  seven  members  of  the  Board  met  in 
Jacksonville  and  severally  agreed  to  execute  the  trust  reposed  in 
them  by  the  General  Assembly.  The  members  of  this  first  Board  of 
Trustees  are  as  follows:  William  Thomas,  Samuel  D.  Lockwood, 
Joseph  Morton,  Owen  M.  Long,  Nathaniel  English,  William  W. 
Happy,  James  Dunlap,  James  Gordon,  Aquila  Becraf  t.  They  pro- 
ceeded to  organize  by  electing  Samuel  D.  Lockwood  as  President 
and  William  Thomas  as  Secretary. 

On  the  1st  of  May,  1847,  tLe  Board  agreed  upon  the  location  of 
a  building,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  purchase  a  quarter 
section  of  land,  which  purchase  was  concluded  in  the  month  of  June 
following  at  a  cost  of  $3,631.42.  The  site  selected  was  one  mile 
south  of  the  square  in  the  city  of  Jacksonville,  Morgan  county. 
The  members  of  the  Board  having  received  such  information  in  re- 
lation to  the  Insane  Hospital  in  Indiana  as  to  induce  the  belief  that 
the  plan  of  that  building  might  be  safely  adopted,  Mr.  M.  C.  Goltra 
was  employed  to  proceed  to  Indianapolis  and  obtain  the  plans, 
drawings  and  specifications  of  that  building.  On  the  10th  day  of 
July  Mr.  Goltra  returned  with  these  plans,  which  were  adopted  by 
the  Board  and  are  described  as  follows:  "The  principal  building, 
one  hundred  feet  in  front  by  forty-eight  deep,  with  a  basement  of 


8 

eight  feet  and  three  principal  stories  of  eleven  feet  each,  an  attic  of 
eight  feet,  a  center  hall  ten  feet  wide,  extending  from  front  to  rear 
and  a  transverse  hall,  ten  feet  wide  extending  the  whole  length  of 
the  main  buildings,  on  the  center  to  rise  a  plain  dome,  the  front  to 
be  ornamented  by  a  plain  portico,  rising  two  and  a  half  stories  from 
the  platform  of  five  feet  elevation  and  supported  by  four  doric  col- 
umns. Two  connecting  wings,  falling  back  thirty  feet  from  the 
front  of  the  principal  building  and  parallel  therewith.  Each  wing 
one  hundred  feet  long  in  front  and  one  hundred  and  eighteen  in  the 
rear,  seventy-two  feet  of  wing  to  be  forty-two  feet  wide  and  twenty- 
eight  feet  to  be  forty-eight  feet  wide,  with  a  basement  story  the 
same  as  in  the  principal  building,  with  three  principal  stories  and 
an  attic  of  eight  feet  upon  the  above  twenty-eight  feet,  each  story 
to  be  traversed  by  a  hall  thirteen  feet  wide,  extending  the  whole 
length  of  the  wings  and  opening  at  each  end  with  Venetian  windows 
to  the  open  air." 

On  the  13th  of  November  the  Board  adopted  a  code  of  by-laws, 
which,  being  approved  by  the  Governor,  took  effect  on  the  19th  day 
of  December.  At  the  same  meeting  of  the  Board,  John  Henry  was 
appointed  Steward  and  James  Jackson  was  appointed  Treasurer.  On 
the  12th  of  August  1848,  Dr.  James  M.  Higgins,  of  Griggsville, 
HI.,  was  appointed  Medical  Superintendent,  but  by  a  resolution 
of  the  Board  he  was  not  to  enter  upon  the  duties  of  his  office  before 
the  1st  of  the  following  March,  nor  until  the  Board  should  there- 
after direct. 

On  the  29th  of  August,  Dr.  Higgins  notified  the  Board  of  his 
acceptance  of  the  appointment.  The  foundation  of  the  building  was 
commenced  in  the  fall  of  1847,  and  calculations  were  then  made  that 
during  the  summer  and  fall  of  1848  the  wall  could  be  carried  up  to 
the  second  tier  of  joists;  but  this  calculation  was  based  on  the  ex- 
pectation that  the  Board  would  receive  during  the  year  1848,  from 
the  special  tax  above  referred  to,  at  least  $18,000,  and  the  con- 
tracts were  predicated  upon  this  estimate.  The  failure  to  assess  the 
special  tax  in  several  counties  caused  the  difference  between  the 
estimate  and  ihe  amount  received,  and  it  was  not  until  all  the  heavy 
contracts  had  been  made  that  it  was  ascertained  that  not  exceeding 
$14,000  would  be  realized. 

The  report  of  the  Treasurer  for  the  years  1847  and  1848  showed 
total  expenditures  of  313,121.54. 

Although  the  work  was  commenced  so  promptly,   there  seemed 


9 

to  be  a  lack  of  vigor  in  pushing  it  forward,  for  the  record  of  the 
years  1849  and  1850  show  that  the  building  operations  were  carried 
on  with  considerable  deliberation.  The  treasurer  reports,  for  the 
same  biennial  period,  an  expenditure  of  $38,619.65,  most  of  which 
was  for  building. 

On  the  3d  of  November,  1851  the  first  patient,  Sophronia  Mc- 
Elhiney,  was  admitted  to  the  institution.  She  came  from  McLean 
county,  and  remained  in  the  Hospital  until  December  31,  1867. 

On  account  of  strife  and  differences  and  disagreements  in  the 
Board,  an  investigation  was  ordered  by  the  Legislature  of  1852-53, 
and  resulted  in  a  reorganization  of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  The  dif- 
ferences in  the  views  of  the  Board  arose  from  the  same  source  that 
has  made  many  an  institution  trouble,  and  that  was  the  question  of 
local  patronage.  About  half  the  Board  were  in  favor  of  making  all 
their  purchases  from  the  local  dealers,  while  the  other  half  wanted 
to  throw  their  purchases  open  to  the  competition  of  other  localities. 
Dr.  Higgins  did  not  meet  with  favor  at  the  hands  of  the  new 
Board  and  on  the  6th  of  June,  1853,  for  various  reasons,  unneces- 
sary now  to  state,  the  trustees  deemed  it  their  imperative  duty  to 
make  a  change  in  the  superintendency  of  the  institution.  Accord- 
ingly, with  a  single  dissenting  voice,  they  adopted  resolutions  re- 
moving the  Superintendent  from  office  and  imposing  his  duties, 
while  the  appointment  of  a  successor  was  pending,  upon  Dr.  H.  K. 
Jones,  the  assistant  physician.  The  late  Superintendent,  however, 
declined  leaving  the  institution  and  did  not  until  the  action  of  the 
Board  was  fully  sustained  by  the  action  of  the  Supreme  Court.  Im- 
mediate steps  were  thereupon  taken  to  procure  the  services  of 
another  Superintendent,  and  the  Board  delegated  a  committee,  con- 
sisting of  two  of  its  number,  together  with  the  Governor  of  the 
State,  who  visited  several  of  the  principal  institutions  of  the  Eastern 
States  for  advice  and  council  in  the  selection  of  a  proper  man  for 
this  office.  This  visit  to  the  East  terminated  in  the  selection  of  Dr. 
Andrew  McFarland,  formerly  Superintendent  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Asylum  for  the  Insane  and  on  the  16th  of  June,  1854,  he  ar- 
rived at  the  institution  and  assumed  its  superiutendeucy.  The 
Treasurer  reports  expenditures  for  the  years  1853-54,  $100,680.93, 
while  on  the  1st  of  December,  1854,  there  were  one  hundred  and 
sixty-six  patients  under  treatment  in  the  hospital. 

Eef erring  to  the  fifth  biennial  report,  which  closes  with  the   1st 
December,  1856,  we  find  the  Board  of  Trustees  consists  of  nine 


10 

members  as  follows:  Fleming  Stevenson,  William  Butler,  Simeon 
Francis,  Charles  H.  Lanphier,  Benjamin  Pyatt,  William  L.  Craven, 
Richard  Henry,  Pleasant  L.  Ward,  James  Ward;  Secretary  and 
Treasurer,  Alexander  McDonald.  Resident  officers,  Andrew  Mc- 
Farlaud,  Superintendent;  Charles  C.  Cornett,  M.  D.,  Assistant 
Physician;  Eliza  M.  Rague,  Matron.  Officiating  Chaplin,  Rev.  J. 
M.  Sturtevant,  D.  D. 

The  number  of  patients  has  increased  to  two  hundred  and  four- 
teen and  the  expenses  were  $73,730.37. 

In  1858,  ten  years  after  the  commencement  of  the  buildings,  an 
appropriation  was  granted  to  construct  an  additional  wing  at  either 
end  of  the  Hospital,  the  result  of  which  was  to  double  its  capacity. 
That  part  of  the  institution,  known  as  the  rear  building,  was  com- 
pleted during  this  year,  thereby  affording  enlarged  domestic  apart- 
ments and  a  chapel  for  religious  exercises.  Gas  for  illuminating 
purposes  was  also  introduced  into  the  building  at  this  time.  The 
biennial  period  closes  with  two  hundred  and  twenty-nine  patients, 
which  were  kept  at  a  cost  of  $82,271.71.  It  should  be  understood 
that  this  matter  of  cost,  wherever  mentioned,  covers  a  period  of 
two  years. 

The  usual  caution  against  undue  haste  in  making  these  improve- 
ments available  seemed  to  prevail  and  it  was  not  until  December 
1862,  that  we  noticed  any  special  increase  in  population  and  then 
the  number  had  only  risen  to  three  hundred  and  two,  who  were 
maintained  at  a  cost  of  $110,551.82.  It  was  in  this  year  also  that 
the  first  steps  were  taken  toward  a  regular  and  permanent  water 
supply  for  the  Hospital.  Up  to  this  time  cisterns  and  wells  had 
furnished  all  that  was  to  be  had  of  this  necessity.  In  1862  the  first 
reservoir  was  built  on  the  banks  of  the  creek,  one-third  of  a  mile 
east  of  the  Hospital  and  a  regular  pipe  line  established  from  it  to 
the  institution. 

The  six  years  following  show  a  gradual  increase  in  the  popula- 
tion of  another  hundred,  bringing  the  total  number  of  patients  in 
the  Hospital  December  1,  1868,  up  to  four  hundred  and  six.  At  this, 
the  close  of  the  second  decade,  we  find  the  following  organization: 

Trustees:  Edward  G.  Miner,  Joseph  T.  Eccles,  Francis  A.  Hoff- 
man, Fernando  Jones,  Isaac  L.  Morrison. 

Secretary  and  Treasurer,  E.  P.  Kirby. 

Resident  Officers:  Andrew  McFarland,  M.  D.,  Superintendent; 


11 

H.  A.  Oilman,  M.  D.,  Assistant  Physician;  Mary  Johnston,  Matron; 
Charles  A.  Barker,  Clerk;  Rev.  J.  O.  Roberts,  Chaplain. 

This  was,  in  some  respects,  an  eventful  period  in  the  history  of 
the  institution.  It  was  during  this  period  that  the  lunacy  laws  of 
the  State  were  changed  to  substantially  their  present  form,  and  it 
was  at  the  close  of  this  period  that  Dr.  Andrew  McFarland  tendered 
his  resignation  as  Superintendent.  His  resignation  was  not  ac- 
cepted at  once,  nor  indeed  for  over  a  year.  In  the  reorganization 
of  the  many  matters  connected  with  the  insane  in  Illinois,  which 
took  place  about  this  time,  the  Board  of  Trustees  was  reduced  to 
three  members,  as  follows:  Isaac  Scarritt,  John  Tilson,  Jonathan 
B.  Turner,  with  E.  P.  Kirby,  Secretary  and  Treasurer.  These  gen- 
tlemen spent  some  time  in  correspondence  and  in  visiting  other  in- 
stitutions, and  as  a  result  of  their  investigations,  chose  as  the  new 
Superintendent,  Dr.  Henry  F.  Carriel,  of  Trenton,  N.  J.  Dr. 
Carriel  had  spent  most  of  his  professional  life  in  this  specialty, 
and  his  subsequent  career  as  Superintendent  fully  justified  the 
excellence  of  the  judgment  which  elected  him  for  the  position. 

About  this  time  also  two  new  institutions  for  the  care  of  the 
insane  were  established  in  the  State,  but  of  course  this  additional 
accommodation  could  not  be  made  immediately  available. 

On  July  1,  1870,  almost  twenty  years  after  the  first  patient  was 
received  at  the  institution,  Dr.  Carriel  reached  Jacksonville  and 
assumed  control  of  the  Hospital. 

He  immediately  turned  his  attention  to  remodeling  the  system  of 
ventilation,  for  which  the  sum  of  $7,500  had  been  appropriated  by 
the  preceeding  Legislature.  This  was  successfully  accomplished  at 
a  cost  of  $3,500.  The  balance  of  $4,000  was  expended  in  repair- 
ing the  reservoir,  which  never  was  filled  with  water  and  never  could 
be  with  the  pumps  in  use,  as  the  water  would  leak  out  as  fast  as  it 
could  be  pumped  in.  Accordingly  the  loose  bricks  placed  on  the 
embankment  were  taken  up  and  laid  in  hydraulic  cement,  covering 
both  bottom  and  sides.  The  pump-house  was  doubled  in  size  and 
an  additional  pump  secured.  In  1871  the  Legislature  appropriated 
$20,000  for  a  new  boiler  and  wash-house,  for  procuring  new  boilers, 
for  building  a  new  fan  duct  two  hundred  and  sixty  feet  long  and  for 
fitting  up  these  buildings  with  suitable  pumps,  washing  machines, 
etc.,  ready  for  use.  In  1872  an  additional  reservoir  was  built  near 
the  Hospital  buildings  capable  of  holding  two  and  a  quarter  million 
gallons.  A  brick  building  forty-two  by  twenty-four  feet  and  two 


12 

stories  high  was  put  up  for  a  paint  shop  and  refrigerator.  Thirty- 
five  thousand  feet  of  cast  iron  pipe  four  inches  in  diameter  was  laid 
to  the  east  reservoir  to  replace  the  worthless  earthen  pipe. 

In  1874  the  room  originally  intended  for  a  chapel,  but  long  used 
for  a  carpenter  shop,  paint  shop  and  engineer's  shop,  was  tastily 
finished  for  a  chapel  and  furnished  with  a  pipe  organ.  The  same 
year  an  ice  house  thirty  by  sixty  feet  was  built  and  a  brick  carpen- 
ter shop  thirty-three  by  seventy  feet  was  built  and  furnished  with 
suitable  machinery.  During  this  period  the  entire  outside  walls 
of  the  main  building  were  painted  and  a  new  sewer  laid  for  the 
whole  institution,  requiring  1,741  feet  of  twelve  and  fifteen-inch 
pipe. 

The  old  wash-house  was  finished  and  furnished  for  a  kitchen, 
and  a  thousand  feet  of  food  duct,  six  feet  wide  and  six  feet  high, 
built  for  convenience  in  the  distribution  of  food.  Also  a  hydraulic 
elevator  was  provided  for  raising  the  food  car  to  the  kitchen  floor. 
A  building  for  a  filter  thirty  by  forty- five  feet,  and  a  filter  bed 
thirty  by  thirty-four  feet,  was  made.  All  the  water  for  all  purposes 
passed  over  this  filter,  the  quality  being  greatly  improved.  In  1877 
and  1878  two  wings  were  added  to  the  institution,  increasing  the 
accommodation  one  hundred  and  fifty  patients,  bringing  the  total 
up  to  six  hundred.  A  building  for  ironing  and  sewing-rooms  was 
erected.  Twenty-three  hundred  feet  of  four-inch  cast-iron  pipe 
were  laid  around  the  building  as  a  protection  against  fire.  The  front 
porch  was  rebuilt,  two  main  stairways  in  the  main  building  were 
renewed  and  modernized  and  several  barns  and  sheds  constructed 
for  convenience  in  the  care  of  the  stock.  In  1879  and  1880  a  con- 
servatory was  built,  also  a  building  thirty -two  by  eighty-two  feet, 
two  stories  high,  was  put  up  between  the  engine-room  and  carpenter 
shop  and  a  new  engine  was  purchased.  An  amusement  hall  was 
completed  from  the  old  ironing-room  and  chapel  and  by  building  on  a 
stage  thirty  by  fifty-six  feet.  This  hall  was  frescoed  and  supplied 
with  appropriate  scenery. 

In  1881  and  1882  a  second  filter  bed  was  made  the  same  size  as 
the  first  one.  A  second  refrigerating  building,  thirty-six  by  fifty- 
one  feet,  with  a  capacity  for  five  hundred  tons  of  ice  was  put  up  A 
wooden  building  for  drying  lumber  by  steam  heat  was  built  and  an 
extension  of  twenty-six  by  thirty-four  was  made  to  the  cow  barn. 
Power  was  carried  from  the  wash-house  to  the  barn,  a  distance  of 


13 

four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  by  wire  rope,  and  a  stone  for  grinding,  a 
sheller  and  a  feed  cutter  supplied. 

In  1882  and  1884  an  extension  to  the  center  building  was  made, 
which  has  proved  to  be  of  great  utility  and  convenience.  A  brick 
blacksmith  shop  was  added  to  the  engineer's  department  and  a 
building  thirty  by  forty-five,  two  stories  high,  was  added  to  the  car- 
penter shop.  The  office  was  fitted  up  with  a  Howard  Electric 
Clock  and  the  house  wired  and  watch  detector  boxes  put  in. 

A  separate  building  for  the  accommodation  of  three  hundred 
patients  and  their  attendants  was  provided  by  the  Legislature  of 
1883  and  $135,000  was  appropriated  for  this  purpose.  This 
building  was  put  up  during  the  period  now  under  consideration. 
After  its  completion  a  balance  of  $20,000  remained,  which  the  suc- 
ceeding Legislature  re-appropriated  for  the  building  of  another  res- 
ervoir, extending  water  pipes  and  improving  the  water  supply.  This 
improvement  was  carried  out  the  next  year  and  a  reservoir  holding 
7,000,000  gallons  of  water,  completed. 

In  1889  the  Legislature  appropriated  $120,000  for  a  second  build- 
ing to  accommodate  three  hundred  patients  and  their  attendants, 
and  this  to  include  furnishing  and  heating.  This  building  was 
completed  and  opened  for  patients  August  21,  1891,  and  the  build- 
ings above  referred  to  are  located  in  line  about  a  thousand  feet  dis- 
tant from  the  main  building.  Between  the  two,  a  chapel  and  amuse- 
ment hall  is  so  placed  as  to  be  very  accessible  to  the  patients  from 
these  buildings.  This  hall  is  a  handsoire  building,  fifty  by  ninety 
feet,  with  a  tower  in  front.  The  main  auditorium  is  fifty  by  sixty- 
two  feet,  having  a  ceiling  thirty-two  feet  high  and  provided  with  a 
gallery  at  one  end.  It  is  provided  with  ample  stage  room,  dressing 
rooms  and  scenery,  is  handsomely  frescoed  and  furnished  with  a 
pipe  organ  and  has  a  seating  capacity  of  six  hundred  people. 

The  above  is  a  brief  sketch  of  the  origin,  growth  and  a  few  of 
the  most  salient  points  connected  with  this  splendid  charity.  It  cov- 
ers a  period  of  a  little  more  than  forty  years,  and  in  that  time  has 
increased  from  the  one  patient  received  in  1851  to  over  1,200  cared 
for  now.  There  have  been  admitted  since  the  Hospital  was  opened 
10,370  patients.  Of  these  3,208  have  been  discharged  recovered,  and 
2,660  improved.  These  are  simple  figures,  but  the  benefits  to 
homes,  to  communities  and  to  the  citizens  of  the  State  which 
these  figures  represent  are  incalculable.  The  plant  embraces  two 
large,  and  upward  of  twenty-five  smaller  buildings,  over  three 


14 

hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  with  gardens,  lawns  and  airing 
courts,  stock,  implements  and  all  appliances  to  the  value  of  $1,250,- 
000.  It  contains  all  the  appliances  of  a  first-class  hospital  for  the 
insane,  and  is  considered  a  fair  sample  of  the  congregrate  and  cen- 
tralized system  of  caring  for  the  insane,  as  compared  with  the  so- 
called  cottage  plan,  and  if  the  people  of  the  State  continue  to  af- 
ford it  the  generous  and  intelligent  support  which  they  have  hith- 
erto manifested,  prosperity  and  success  .will  always  attend  its  min- 
istrations. The  last  biennial  report  gives  the  following  roster  of 
officers : 

Board  of  Trustees:  President,  David  E.  Beaty,  Jersey ville,  111.; 
Edward  P.  Kirby,  Jacksonville,  111. ;  William  R.  Newton,  York- 
ville,  111. 

Treasurer,  Thomas  B.  Orear,  Jacksonville,  111. 

Secretary,  George  E.  Myers,  Jacksonville,  111. 

Resident  Officers:  Medical  Superintendent,  Henry  F.  Carriel, 
M  D. ;  Assistant  Physicians,  Lewis  A.  Frost,  M.  D. ;  Frederic  C. 
Winslow,  M.  D. ;  Frank  P.  Norbury,  M.  D. ;  Frederick  O.  Jackman, 
M.  D. 

Apothecary,   Dr.  Samuel  H.  Sheppard. 

Business  Assistant,  George  E.  Myers. 

Clerk,  Edward  L.  Fry. 

Matron,   Mattie  L.  McCaw. 

Since  the  publication  of  this  report  the  above  named  trustees 
have  either  resigned  or  been  removed  and  a  new  Board  appointed 
consisting  of  the  following: 

Owen  P.  Thompson,  Jacksonville,  111. ;  Joseph  W.  Page,  Jer- 
seyville,  111. ;  Delos  Phelps,  Monmouth,  111. 


ILLINOIS   STATE    BUILDING— WORLD'S    COLUMBIAN    EXPOSITION. 


BRIEF   HISTORY 


ILLINOIS  EASTERN  HOSPITAL 


INSANE, 


LOCATED    AT 


KANKAKEE,   ILL. 


1877-1893. 


Presented  by  the  ILLINOIS  BOARD  OF  WORLD'S 
FAIR  COMMISSIONERS. 


JOHN  MORRIS  COMPANY,  PRINTERS, 

118  and  120  Monroe  Street, 

CHICAGO. 


EASTERN  HOSPITAL  FOR  INSANE. 


The  act  making  the  first  appropriation  for  the  Illinois  Eastern 
Hospital  for  the  Insane  was  approved  by  Gov.  Shelby  M.  Cullom, 
May  25,  1877. 

Seven  commissioners  were  appointed  to  select  a  suitable  site  "in 
that  portion  of  the  State  east  of  the  third  principal  meridian  and 
included  between  parallels  of  latitude  thirty-nine  and  forty-one  and 
one-half."  None  of  them  were  from  within  the  territory  thus 
described.  From  all  of  the  tracts  offered  they  chose,  August  2, 
1877,  the  "  Cowgill  farm,"  on  the  Kaukakee  river,  adjoining  the 
town  on  the  south,  and  lying  east  of  the  Illinois  Central  road. 
This  farm  contained  two  hundred  and  fifty-one  acres,  and  the  price 
paid  was  $14,000,  or  about  $56  per  acre.  Trustees  were  then  ap- 
pointed, who  employed  Maj.  James  R.  Willett,  of  Chicago,  as  archi- 
tect and  superintendent  of  construction.  With  the  advice  and 
assistance  of  Mr.  Wines,  the  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Charities, 
Major  Willett  prepared  plans  which  were  accepted  and  adopted  in 
January,  1878.  It  was  uncertain  whether  the  detached  ward  sys- 
tem would  meet  with  favor  from  the  trustees  and  the  Legislature. 
For  this  reason  the  center  and  rear  buildings,  with  the  wings,  were 
drawn  after  the  old  style ;  but  the  grounds  were  laid  out  with  refer- 


6 

ence  to  the  creation  of  a  village  for  the  insane,  and  Mr.  Wines'  con- 
ception has  been  since  carried  out. 

The  act  authorized  the  commissioners  of  the  penitentiary  at 
Joliet  to  bid  for  this  work.  The  bids  were  opened  at  Kankakee 
March  19,  1878,  and  the  penitentiary  commissioners  presented  the 
lowest  bid,  which  was  accepted.  They  sub-let  the  entire  contract, 
except  the  cut-stone  work,  which  they  desired  to  secure  for  the 
convicts. 

In  August,  1878,  the  International  Prison  Congress  convened  at 
Stockholm,  in  Sweden.  The  Governor  of  Illinois  was  authorized, 
by  a  joint  resolution  of  the  General  Assembly,  to  appoint  a  special 
commissioner  from  this  State  to  attend  it.  Governor  Cullom  ap- 
pointed Mr.  Wines.  One  of  the  ends  sought  in  this  appointment 
was  to  enable  him  to  make  such  studies  of  European  hospitals  and 
asylums  for  the  insane  as  would  be  of  service  in  planning  the  new 
hospital  at  Kankakee. 

A  controversy  over  the  "  propositions "  of  the  Association  of 
Medical  Superintendents  of  Institutions  for  the  Insane  in  the  United 
States  and  Canada,  which  were  adopted  in  1851,  had  been  in  prog- 
ress for  many  years.  It  was  apparent  to  many  of  the  friends  of 
the  insane  that  those  propositions,  admirably  adapted  as  they  were 
to  the  small,  curative  hospitals  to  which  they  were  meant  to  apply, 
had  proven  a  cast-iron  fetter  upon  any  real  advance  in  hospital  con- 
struction, and  that  the  country  had  outgrown  them.  But  they  were 
regarded  with  a  reverence  which  almost  savored  of  superstition, 
aud  dissent  from  them  in  any  particular  was  regarded  in  the 
specialty  as  heresy.  It  required  no  small  amount  of  courage  to 
brave  the  hostility  of  the  entire  profession,  and  to  risk  reputation 
in  the  effort  to  demonstrate  the  feasibility  of  an  experiment  the  fail- 
ure of  which  was  loudly  proclaimed  in  advance,  especially  because 
there  was  no  actual  precedent  to  serve  as  a  guide  in  the  new  depart- 


ure.  But  Mr.  Wines'  observations  at  Gheel  in  Belgium,  at  Cler- 
mont  in  France,  at  Cheadle  in  England,  and  at  Cupar-Fife  and 
Lenzie  in  Scotland,  gave  him  the  courage  demanded,  and  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  in  1879  made  an  experimental  appropriation  of 
$30,000  for  the  construction  and  completion  of  detached  wards  to 
accommodate  not  less  than  eighty  patients.  Thirty-eight  thousand 
dollars  for  detached  wards  was  appropriated  in  1881,  and  $400,- 
000  more  in  1883,  as  the  Legislature  saw  the  utility  of  the  new 
method  and  acquired  confidence  in  it. 

This  undertaking  marks  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  care  and 
treatment  of  the  insane  throughout  the  world.  Its  success  shat- 
tered the  too  exclusive  adhesion  to  Dr.  Kirkbride's  "propositions," 
and  opened  the  way  for  other  experiments  in  architectural  construc- 
tion in  many  of  the  States,  in  nearly  all  of  which  the  Kankakee 
model  has  been  more  or  less  closely  followed.  It  has  had  also  a 
great  indirect  influence  in  the  way  of  diminishing  mechanical  re- 
straint, promoting  the  freedom  of  patients,  and  increasing  the 
amount  of  useful  occupation  in  hospitals  constructed  on  the  Kirk- 
bride  plan,  much  of  which  is  due  to  the  patience,  intelligence, 
humanity  and  consecration  of  Dr.  Richard  S.  Dewey,  the  excellent 
Medical  Superintendent  of  the  Kankakee  Hospital. 

The  plan  adopted  embraces,  as  its  central  feature,  the  "  hospital 
proper,"  that  is,  a  small  center  building  for  the  accommodation  of  a 
limited  number  of  officers,  and  one  wing  for  patients  of  each  sex; 
each  wing  built  in  two  sections,  containing  one  ward  on  each  floor 
of  each  section,  or  twelve  wards  in  all — six  for  men  and  six  for 
women.  These  wards  are  large,  airy  and  light,  with  single  dormi- 
tories and  pleasant  alcoves,  used  as  day -rooms,  dining-room,  bath- 
room, etc.  The  windows  are  barred,  and  the  doors  have  spring- 
locks,  with  bolts  on  the  doors  of  all  the  sleeping  apartments.  This 
entire  building  is  fireproof,  having  brick  arches  turned  over  all  the 


8 

rooms  as  well  as  over  the  corridors.  It  is  heated  by  indirect  radia- 
tion from  steam-coils  in  the  basement.  The  rear  buildings  consti- 
tute the  axis,  or  center-line,  of  the  entire  establishment,  and  mark 
the  separation  of  the  sexes  throughout.  The  further  extension  of 
the  wings  connected  with  the  center  building  is  blocked  by  roads. 
Two  broad  avenues,  parallel  with  a  line  at  right  angles  to  the  line 
of  the  wings,  present  the  appearance  of  village  streets,  bordered 
with  side-walks,  and  shaded  by  elms  and  maples.  On  each  side  of  each 
of  these  two  streets,  the  laud  is  laid  off  in  lots  for  building  purposes. 
Along  the  side  of  the  road  are  laid  the  sewer  pipes,  also  the  gas 
and  water  mains,  connected  by  branches  with  the  detached  wards. 
The  streets  are  lighted,  and  fire-plugs  have  been  provided  in  case 
of  a  conflagration.  The  general  appearance  of  the  detached  wards 
is  similar  to  that  of  an  English  insane  asylum  upon  the  "block" 
plan,  except  that  the  wards  are  wholly  detached,  and  not  connected 
by  corridors,  as  in  England.  They  face  each  other,  on  opposite 
sides  of  the  street,  and  resemble,  to  some  extent,  ordinary  dwellings, 
with  home-like  surroundings,  such  as  covered  porticoes  in  front, 
shrubbery  and  flowers,  the  design  being  to  get  rid,  to  the  utmost 
possible  extent,  of  the  air  of  an  institution  or  any  resemblance  to 
ordinary  asylum  grounds.  To  a  certain  extent,  they  resemble  the 
French  asylum  wards— in  this,  that  they  are  all  two  stories  in 
height,  and  are  so  planned  as  to  provide,  in  some  form,  day-rooms 
upon  the  lower  floor  and  dormitories  above.  But  the  proportion  of 
single  dormitories  is  smaller  than  that  usually  found  in  American 
hospitals  for  the  insane.  A  third  street,  running  north  and  south, 
connects  the  two  just  described,  at  their  western  extremity.  The 
number  of  detached  wards  now  built  is  about  twenty,  with  a  capac- 
ity for  seventeen  hundred  patients;  in  addition  to  which  there  are 
many  other  detached  buildings,  such  as  the  Superintendent's 
residence,  an  amusement  hall,  bath-houses,  general  storehouse, 


9 

quarters  for  employes,  a  general  dining-room,  patients'  workshops, 
etc. 

Dr.  Dewey,  the  very  accomplished  and  devoted  Superintendent, 
under  whose  guidance  and  inspiration  the  entire  plan  has  been 
brought  in  detail,  since  the  date  of  his  appointment,  when  but  little 
had  yet  been  done,  thus  admirably  states  the  special  aims  of  this 
establishment: 

This  Hospital,  while  seeking  the  good  results  usually  accomplished  by  such 
institutions,  is  especially  committed  to  a  course  of  careful  experimentation  and 
effort  in  the  direction  of  determining — 

First:  How  moderate  the  expense  of  erecting  suitable  buildings  for  the  insane 
can  be  made. 

Second:  Whether  occupation  which  will  be  beneficial  in  every  sense  can  not 
be  secured  for  a  majority  of  the  inmates. 

Third:  To  what  extent  the  rigor  of  confinement  and  restraint  can  be  removed, 
and  a  natural  and  somewhat  domestic  mode  of  life  be  introduced  among  our 
patients. 

The  trustees  met  and  organized,  August  8,  1877.  Major  \Vil- 
lett  was  elected  architect,  September  13.  All  of  the  buildings  have 
been  planned  by  him,  and  the  Kankakee  hospital  may  be  regarded, 
in  years  to  come,  as  in  a  sense  his  monument.  The  plans  were 
approved  by  the  Governor  and  by  the  State  Commissioners  of  Pub- 
lic Charities,  January  29,  1878.  The  bids  for  construction  were 
opened  March  19,  and  the  work  began  soon  after. 

Dr.  Kichard  Dewey  was  elected  Superintendent  at  a  meeting  held 
June  13,  1879,  and  not  until  after  the  first  appropriation  of  $30,000 
had  been  made  for  detached  wards. 

Mr.  W.  L.  Cleveland,  of  Chicago,  was  employed  to  lay  out  the 
grounds. 

All  the  contracts  for  building,  since  the  first,  have  been  awarded, 
after  due  competition,  to  Mr.  James  Lillie. 

The  Hospital  was  occupied  by  the  officers  and  employes,  Novem- 
ber 25,  1879,  and  the  first  patients  were  admitted,  December  4. 


10 

In  March,  1884,  a  purchase  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  additional 
acres  of  land  was  made,  for  $10,000.  The  Legislature,  in  1885, 
granted  $3,600  with  which  to  buy  a  tract  of  seventeen  acres  for  a 
railroad  switch  connecting  the  grounds  with  the  Illinois  Central 
road,  and  $15,000  for  more  farm  land;  the  trustees  bought  three 
hundred  and  twenty-eight  acres  adjoining  the  hospital  farm  on  the 
south.  The  Hospital  now  owns  eight  hundred  acres,  but  needs  still 
more  in  consequence  of  the  great  number  of  patients  cared  for. 

On  the  18th  of  January,  1885,  at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning,  a 
fire  broke  out  in  the  south  infirmary,  heated  by  furnaces,  in  which 
seventeen  patients  lost  their  lives  by  suffocation.  This  unfortunate 
accident  led  to  the  perfecting  of  what  is  perhaps  the  most  complete 
system  of  fire  protection  now  to  be  found  in  any  institution  in  the 
United  States,  in  the  development  of  which  one  of  the  assistant 
physicians,  Dr.  Prince,  formerly  connected  with  the  Chicago  Fire 
Insurance  Patrol,  rendered  most  valuable  assistance. 

In  this  Hospital  a  lady  physician  was  first  honored  with  a  place 
on  the  medical  staff,  when  Dr.  Delia  Howe  was  appointed,  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1885,  and  given  charge  of  the  infirmary  for  women. 

A  uniform  dress  for  attendants  was  prescribed,  in  May,  1886. 
In  November  following,  a  training-school  for  attendants  was 
organized,  which  has  ever  since  been  in  successful  operation.  Cer- 
tificates are  given  to  graduates. 

Workshops  for  the  patients  were  opened  in  1887,  and  have  since 
been  enlarged.  About  one  hundred  male  patients  and  eighty  female 
patients  are  now  employed  in  them.  During  the  past  two  years, 
Dr.  Dewey  reports  seventy-three  per  cent,  of  the  entire  number  of 
patients  usefully  employed  in  some  capacity.  In  their  report  for 
1890,  the  trustees  say:  "A  great  variety  of  useful  trades  are  in 
successful  operation,  which  tend  to  increase  the  self-sustaining 


11 

power  of  the  Hospital.  All  the  brooms,  baskets,  rugs,  mats,  har- 
ness, tinware,  mattresses,  socks  and  rag  carpets,  that  are  used  in 
the  institution  are  produced  here  from  the  raw  material;  and  the 
raw  material  itself,  of  the  brooms,  baskets  and  mats  is  also  grown 
on  its  farm.  Almost  the  entire  supply  of  underclothing  for  the  men 
and  women,  outer  clothing  for  the  women,  and  a  good  share  of  the 
men's  jean  suits,  are  made  in  the  institution.  A  scroll-saw,  a 
turning-lathe,  a  blacksmith's  forge,  and  a  small  printing-press  are 
kept  in  constant  operation  by  the  patients.  All  repairing  of  boots 
and  shoes  is  done  by  them;  also  the  repairing  and  regulating  of 
clocks.  Three  or  four  shoemakers,  two  tinners,  one  harness-maker, 
one  clock-tinker,  one  or  two  type-setters,  one  copperplate  engraver, 
two  or  three  tailors,  and  one  upholsterer  and  mattress-maker,  are 
constantly  at  work.  Rag-carpet  making  employs  six  or  eight  pa- 
tients, and  preparing  raw  material  in  various  ways  as  many  more." 

Great  progress  has  also  been  made  in  the  removal  of  unneces- 
sary restrictions  upon  the  freedom  of  the  insane,  by  the  non-use  of 
mechanical  restraints,  the  institution  of  open  wards,  and  the  paroling 
of  patients. 

In  1892  the  Hospital  received  a  very  valuable  gift  of  about 
eighty  oil  paintings,  presented  by  the  artist,  G.  P.  A.  Healy — all 
his  own  work.  For  this  gift  the  institution  is  very  largely  indebted 
to  the  personal  friendship  of  Mr.  Healy  for  the  President  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees,  Mr.  Ezra  B.  McCagg. 

A  complete  account  of  this  very  interesting  and  well-managed 
institution,  in  all  its  details,  would  take  more  space  than  can  here 
be  given  it.  It  is  a  model  and  an  inspiration.  Since  it  was  opened, 
in  1879,  others  have  been  erected  on  the  same  general  plan,  in  the 
United  States  and  Canada,  as  follows: 

1885.     Jamestown,.  North  Dakota. 


12 

1888.  Toledo,  Ohio. 

1888.  Logansport,  Indiana. 

1889.  Central  Islip,  New  York. 

1890.  Richmond,  Indiana. 
1890.  Ogdensburg,  New  York. 
1890.  Mimico,  near  Toronto.  Ontario. 

The  entire  amount  appropriated  by  the  General  Assembly,  from  the 
beginning  for  the  use  of  this  Hospital,  has  been  $4,066,119,  namely: 
$2,410,250  for  ordinary  expenses  or  maintenance,  and  $1,655,869  for 
other  purposes,  chiefly  on  account  of  construction  and  repairs.  In 
view  of  the  predictions  freely  made  that  the  institution  on  the  de- 
tached ward  system  would  be  more  expensive,  both  for  construction 
and  maintenance,  than  one  on  the  Kirkbride  or  corridor  plan,  it  will 
be  of  interest  and  value  to  submit  the  following  comparative  state- 
ment: The  Hospital  at  Elgin  with  a  capacity  of  one  thousand  beds  has 
cost  the  State  of  Illinois,  in  special  appropriations  of  all  sorts  $1,091,- 
746,  or  $1,091.75  per  bed.  The  Hospital  at  Anna,  with  a  capacity 
of  nine  hundred  and  fifty  beds  has  cost  $1,054,272,  or  $1,109.76 
per  bed.  The  Hospital  at  Kankakee,  with  a  capacity  of  two  thou- 
sand beds,  has  cost  $827.93  per  bed.  In  respect  to  maintenance; 
the  per  capita  cost  at  Elgin,  from  the  opening  of  the  Hospital  to 
date,  has  been  $197.71  or  $116.84,  net;  at  Anna  $181.38,  or  $163.27, 
net;  at  Kankakee,  $169,  or  $155.64,  net.  The  utility  of  a  State 
Board  of  Public  Charities  in  Illinois  is  demonstrated  by  the  saving 
to  the  Public  Treasury  effected  in  this  single  item  of  construction 
of  one  institution,  which  amounts,  as  compared  with  the  Elgin  stand- 
ard, to  $527,640,  or  with  the  Anna  standard,  to  $563,660  in  either 
case  more  than  four  times  the  total  cost  of  the  State  Board  for 
twenty-four  years'  continuous  service. 

Much  of  the  credit  of  the  successful  financial  record  of  thisHos- 


13 

pital  belongs  to  Mr.  John  C.  Burt,  the  business  manager,  and  should 
be  accorded  to  him. 

The  trustees  have  been  as  follows: 

John  H.  Clough,  Chicago,  1878  to  1882. 

William  F.  Murphy,  1879  to  1881. 

AVilliam  Keddick  Ottawa,*  1879  to  1885. 

John  L.  Donovan,  Watseka,  1881  to  1893. 

Ezra  B.  McCagg,  Chicago,  1882,  to  1893. 

Lemuel  Milk,  Kaukakee,  1885  to  1889. 

Walter  W.  Todd,  Kankakee,  1889  to  1893. 

The  following  gentlemen  and  ladies  have  been  employed  as  as- 
sistant physicians: 

Dr.  Harold  N.  Mayer,  1880  to  1882. 

Dr.  Henry  M.  Bannister,  1880  to  1892. 

Dr.Elmore  S.  Pettyjohn,  1882  to  1885. 

Dr.  Cassius  D.  Westcott,  1884  to  1886. 

Dr.  Delia  Howe,  1885  to  1888. 

Dr.  L.  H.  Prince,  1835  to  1887. 

Dr.  A.  L.  Warner,  1886  to  1893. 

Dr.  Ludwig  Hektoen,  1887, 

Dr.  M.  M.  Crocker,  1887  to  1889. 

Dr.  Edward  Howard  1887  to  1889. 

Dr.  Anne  C.  Burnet,  1888  to  1893. 

Dr.  L.  E.  Head,  1883. 

Dr.  B.  L.  Riese,  1888  to  1890. 

Dr.  J.  P.  Houston,  1889. 

Dr.  L.  L.  Skeltou,  1889  to  1891. 

Dr.  J.  Chambers  Dodds,  1889  to  1891. 

*Died  March  8, 1885. 


14 

Dr.  Samuel  Dodds,  1890  to  1893. 

Dr.  Charles  H.  Bradley,  1891  to  1893. 

Dr.  George  Boody,  1891  to  1893. 

Dr.  T.  R.  Foster,  1892  to  1893. 

Dr.  Dewey,  for  fourteen  years  the  able  head  of  this  Hospital,  has 
recently  been  removed  for  purely  political  reasons,  and  has  been 
succeeded  by  Dr.  S.  V.  Clevenger  of  Chicago. 


ILLINOIS   STATE   BUILDING— WORLD'S   COLUMBIAN    EXPOSITION. 


BRIEF   HISTORY 


ILLINOIS  NORTHERN 


INSANE, 


LOCATED    AT 


ELGIN,    ILLINOIS 


1869-189$. 


Presented  by  the  ILLINOIS  BOARD  OF  WORLD'S 
FAIR  COMMISSIONERS. 


JOHN  MORRIS  COMPANY,  PRINTERS, 

118  and  120  Monroe  Street, 

CHICAGO. 


NORTHERN  HOSPITAL  FOR  INSANE. 


The  act  to  establish  the  "  Northern  Illinois  Hospital  and  Asylum 
for  the  Insane  "  was  approved  by  Gov.  John  M.  Palmer,  April  16, 
1869.  It  provided  for  the  appointment  of  nine  commissioners 
charged  with  the  duty  of  selecting  a  location.  The  site  chosen  was 
on  the  Fox  river,  at  Elgin.  The  citizens  of  Elgin  gave  to  the  new 
institution  the  Chisholm  farm,  containing  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
five  acres,  free  freight  over  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad 
for  all  material  to  be  used  in  the  construction  of  the  asylum,  and 
the  use  of  a  spring  of  water  situated  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile 
west,  at  an  elevation  of  fifty-four  feet  above  the  site  of  the  building. 

The  Governor  then  appointed  three  trustees  to  erect  the  neces- 
sary buildings  and  organize  the  Hospital.  They  purchased  three 
hundred  and  twenty-three  acres  of  land  adjoining  the  Chisholm 
farm  for  which  they  paid  $100  per  acre.  Plans  were  accepted  which 
had  been  offered,  in  competition  with  other  architects,  by  Mr.  S.  V. 
Shipman,  of  Chicago.  The  contract  for  the  north  wing  was  let  for 
$124,000  to  the  Messrs.  W.  F.  Bushnell  &  Co.,  of  Mendota.  The 
work  of  construction  was  somewhat  hindered  by  the  great  fire  in 
Chicago,  October  9,  1871. 

In  September,  1871,  Dr.  Edwin  A.  Kilbourne,  of  Aurora,  was 
elected  Superintendent,  and  he  retained  his  position  for  more  than 
eighteen  years,  until  removed  by  death,  February  27,  1890.  To 
his  energy,  efficiency,  and  good  taste  the  beauty  and  excellence  of 
this  Hospital  are  very  largely  due. 

The  first  patient  was  admitted  April  3,  1872.  The  Hospital, 
however,  was  not  really  opened  until  April,  owing  to  the  failure  of 
the  McElroy  spring,  on  which  dependence  had  been  placed  for  the 
water  supply.  Water  had  to  be  hauled  from  the  river  and  used 


with  economy,  until  pipe  could  be  laid  and  a  supply  obtained,  by 
pumping,  from  that  source. 

In  the  act  creating  this  institution  permission  was  given  to  the 
trustees  to  adopt  the  "Cottage  System,"  but  in  their  third  biennial 
report  they  declare  themselves  opposed  to  it,  for  reasons  which  are 
stated  at  some  length. 

On  the  18th  of  June,  1873,  a  contract  for  the  erection  of  the 
center  building  and  south  wing  was  made  with  Messrs.  Fisk, 
Stephens,  Sorensen  &  Co.,  of  Madison,  Wis.,  for  $206,000.  The 
center  building  was  completed  in  April,  1874,  and  the  south  wing 
in  the  month  of  July  following.  A  separate  contract  was  made  for 
heating  and  plumbing  with  Messrs.  John  Davis  <fe  Co.,  of  Chicago, 
for  $25,500.  The  heating  apparatus  proved  unsatisfactory,  and  very 
large  sums  have  since  been  expended  in  its  reconstruction. 

Patients  were  at  first  received  from  all  parts  of  the  State,  but  in 
1875  the  General  Assembly,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  State  Commis- 
sioners of  Public  Charities,  adopted  the  district  system,  and  assigned 
to  each  county  its  proportionate  quota  of  beds  in  the  Hos-pital  for 
the  district  in  which  it  was  included,  on  the  basis  of  one  bed  for 
each  twenty-five  hundred  inhabitants.  The  growth  of  the  State 
hospitals  for  the  insane  has  necessitated  various  changes  in  the 
boundaries  of  these  districts.  By  an  act  of  1877  the  quotas  of  the 
counties  were  increased  to  one  bed  for  each  two  thousand  inhabitants. 
These  ratios  were  calculated  on  the  basis  of  the  census  of  1870. 
In  1881  the  ratio  was  made  one  to  two  thousand  on  the  basis  of  the 
census  of  1880.  In  1889,  power  to  re-arrange  the  boundaries  of  the 
districts,  from  time  to  time,  was  conferred  upon  the  State  Commis- 
sioners of  Publib  Charities,  who  issued  an  order,  April  17,  1891, 
fixing  the  quotas  at  one  bed  for  each  eight  hundred  and  thirty-four 
inhabitants,  according  to  the  census  of  1890;  and  again  April  20, 
1893,  at  one  bed  for  each  seven  hundred  and  thirty-five  inhabitants. 
This  remark,  which  applies  to  all  of  our  State  hospitals,  illustrates 
the  energy  with  which  the  Legislative  has  sought  to  make  provis- 
ions for  the  care  of  all  the  insane  of  the  State. 


In  1876  the  work  of  ornamenting  the  grounds  was  commenced, 
in  accordance  with  a  plan  submitted  by  Mr.  John  Blair. 

In  1878  the  Hospital  at  Elgin  came  into  possession  of  the  "Burr 
bequest."  Mr.  Jonathan  Burr,  a  citizen  of  Chicago,  died  in  1869, 
and  bequeathed  certain  real  estate  in  that  city  to  a  trustee,  to  hold, 
manage,  and  improve  the  same,  and  to  invest  and  hold  the  annual 
income  "  until  such  time  as  an  insane  asylum  shall  be  organized, 
located  and  established  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State  of  Illinois, 
under,  and  by  virtue  of,  some  state  or  municipal  authority,  or  some 
charter,  which  shall  give  to  the  institution  a  character  of  permanence 
and  stability" ;  and  to  convey  the  premises,  with  the  accumulated 
income,  "to  the  authority  or  corporation  managing  and  controlling 
said  asylum,  but  in  trust,  however,  to  hold,  manage,  improve  and 
invest  the  same,  and  the  net  annual  income  thereof  to  use  and  expend 
in  and  toward  keeping  and  maintaining  such  asylum  in  a  condi- 
tion to  relieve  those  who  are  so  unfortunate  as  to  need  its  treatment 
and  care."  In  1869  and  1870,  Cook  county  erected  an  insane 
asylum  (in  connection  with  her  county  almshouse,  and  upon  the  same 
ground),  and  in  June,  1873,  commenced  suit  in  the  Circuit  Court  of 
Cook  county,  to  obtain  possession  of  this  bequest.  In  May,  1878, 
Judge  Farwell  rendered  a  decree  in  favor  of  the  county;  but  in  June, 
1878,  the  Supreme  Court  of  this  State  reversed  the  decree,  and  the 
property  came  into  possession  of  the  Hospital  at  Elgin.  The  esti- 
mated value  was  thirty  or  thirty -five  thousand  dollars. 

When  the  State  purchased  the  site  for  the  hospital  buildings, 
there  were  three  farm  houses,  two  frame  and  one  brick,  on  the 
grounds.  As  only  one  was  required  for  the  employes,  the  other 
two  were  fitted  up  for  the  use  of  patients  and  occupied  in  April, 
1878. 

The  road  in  front  of  the  Hospital  was  changed  in  1880,  and  two 
lodges  erected  at  the  north  and  south  entrances  to  the  grounds. 

An  artesian  well  was  bored  to  the  depth  of  two  thousand  and 
sixty-three  feet  in  1882. 

In  1884  an  ornamental  iron  fence  was  erected  in  front  of  the 
Hospital  park,  and  an  excavation  made  for  an  artificial  lake. 


6 

The  Edison  electric  light  was  introduced  in  the  winter  of  1884. 

In  1889,  the  General  Assembly  appropriated  $120,000  for  the 
erection  of  additional  buildings  at  Elgin,  to  accommodate  three  hun- 
dred patients.  The  trustees  adopted  plans  submitted  by  Mr.  I.  C. 
Coleman,  of  Jacksonville,  and  contracted  the  work  for  $97,500. 

The  death  of  Dr.  Kilbourne  created  a  vacancy  in  the  office  of 
Superintendent,  which  was  filled  by  the  appointment  of  Dr.  Henry 
J.  Brooks,  of  Dixon,  formerly  an  assistant  physician  in  the  Hospital. 
'Dr.  Brooks  is  still  in  charge  of  the  institution. 

The  trustees  have  been  as  follows : 

Charles  N.  Holden,  Chicago,  1869  to  1875. 

Henry  Sherman,  Elgin,  1869  to  1875. 

C.  W.  Marsh,  Sycamore,  1869  to  1893. 

Edwin  H.  Sheldon,  Chicago,  1875  to . 

George  P.  Lord,  Elgin,  1875  to  1881. 

Frederick  Stahl,  Galena,  1877  to  1883. 

T.  C.  Bosworth,  Elgin,  1877  to  1885. 

S.  P.  Sedgwick,  M.  D.,  Wheaton,  1883  to  1890. 

David  F.  Barclay,  Elgin,  1885  to  1893. 

Luther  L.  Hiatt,  Wheaton,  1890  to  1893. 

The  following  gentlemen  have  been  employed  as  assistant  phy- 
sicians: 

Dr.  Eichard  Dewey,  1872  to  1879. 

Dr.  Henry  J.  Brooks,  1875  to  1877. 

Dr.  John  Joseph  Crane,  1878  to  1882. 

Dr.  O.  C.  Oliver,*  1879  to  1880. 

Dr.  William  G.  Stone,  1880  to  1893. 

Dr.  Allen  Fitch,  1882  to  1883. 

Dr.  James  Mills,  1883  to  1885. 

Dr.  Archibald  Church,  1884  to  1887. 

Dr.  W.  Cuthbertson,  1887  to  1889. 

Dr.  Alben  Young,  1889  to  1893. 

Dr.  William  T.  Patterson,  1890  to  1891. 

Dr.  W.  S.  Haven,  1891  to  1893. 

*  Died  December  24, 1880. 


It  would  be  tedious  and  unprofitable  to  give  here  a  detailed  his- 
tory of  the  changes,  additions  and  improvements  during  the  past 
twenty-four  years.  The  entire  amount  appropriated  by  the  General 
Assembly,  from  the  beginning,  for  the  use  of  this  Hospital,  has 
been  $3,091,746.41,  namely:  $2,000,000  for  maintenance  or  ordinary 
expenses,  and  $1,091,746.41  for  other  purposes,  nearly  all  on 
account  of  construction  and  repairs. 

The  total  number  of  admissions  to  the  Hospital,  to  June  30, 
1892,  the  date  of  the  last  biennial  report,  as  shown  by  the  register, 
is  four  thousand  one  hundred  and  twenty-four.  The  actual  number 
is  less,  on  account  of  transfers  between  the  hospitals,  and  re-admis- 
sions of  former  patients,  and  can  not  be  stated.  Of  this  number, 
seven  hundred  and  sixty-six  have  been  discharged  recovered,  and 
nine  hundred  and  forty-seven  much  improved.  The  ratio  of  recov- 
eries to  total  discharges  (not  including  twenty-one  not  insane), 
has  been  twenty-five  per  cent. ;  improved,  thirty-one  per  cent. ;  un- 
improved, twenty-seven  per  cent. ;  deaths,  seventeen  per  cent. 

The  average  per  capita  cost  of  maintenance  last  year  was  $158.79; 
net  cost  to  the  State,  $148.62. 

The  average  number  of  inmates  last  year  was  nine  hundred  and 
five.  The  number  present  March  31,  1893,  was  one  thousand  and 
eighty-two. 

The  management  of  the  Hospital  has  been  free  from  scandal  or 
reproach  of  any  sort,  and  the  work  done  by  it  has  given  satisfaction 
to  the  authorities  and  to  the  people  of  the  State.  In  many  respects 
it  is  a  splendid  institution,  with  few  equals  in  the  United  States  or 
elsewhere. 


ILLINOIS   STATE   BUILDING— WORLD'S   COLUMBIAN   EXPOSITION. 


BRIER     HISTORY 


ILLINOIS 


Charitable  Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary, 


LOCATED     AT 


CHICAGO,    ILLINOIS. 


18S8-1893. 


Presented  by  the  ILLINOIS  BOARD  OF  WORLD'S 
FAIR  COMMISSIONERS. 


JOHN  MORRIS  COMPANY,  PRINTERS, 

118  AND  120  MONROE  STREET, 
CHICAGO. 


H ISTORY 

OF    THE 

ILLINOIS    CHAKITABLE    EYE    AND    EAR    INFIRMARY. 


The  association  for  founding  and  maintaining  the  Chicago  Char- 
itable Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary  was  organized  in  May,  1858.  At  that 
time  Chicago,  although  a  city  of  about  eighty  thousand  inhab- 
itants, had  no  public  hospital.  The  "Mercy  Hospital,"  under  the 
care  of  the  "  Sisters  of  Mercy,"  then  so  small,  now  possessing  a 
magnificent  structure,  was  perhaps  the  only  one  in  the  country,  ex- 
cept the  United  States  Marine  Hospital  for  seafaring  men.  It  was 
far  inadequate,  however,  to  the  wants  of  the  sick  poor,  even  at  that 
time. 

There  was  scarcely  a  physician  in  the  city,  who  had  taken  suffi- 
cient interest  in  ophthalmology  to  examine  the  brilliant  discoveries 
in  this  department  of  medicine,  which  had  been  made  during  the 
previous  few  years. 

Ophthalmology  was  almost  entirely  ignored  in  the  only  medical 
college  in  Chicago.  There  was,  therefore,  an  unoccupied  field  for 
some  one  who  would  labor  t'o  found  an  eye  infirmary  for  the  gratu- 
itous treatment  of  the  poor,  afflicted  with  disease  of  the  eye,  and 
also  to  offer  opportunities  to  students  of  medicine  for  the  clinical 
study  of  diseases  of  the  eye  and  their  treatment. 

In  May,  1858,  the  Chicago  Charitable  Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary 
was  organized.  The  first  Board  of  Trustees  was  Walter  L.  New- 
berry,  William  H.  Brown,  Charles  V.  Dyer,  Luther  Haven,  William 
Barry,  Flavel  Moseley,  Samuel  Stone,  Philo  Carpenter,  Rev.  N.  L. 
Rice,  John  H.  Kinzie,  Mark  Skinner  and  Ezra  B.  McCagg,  the  last 
one  of  whom  only  is  now  living.  The  Board  of  Surgeons  were 
Edward  L.  Holmes,  professor;  Daniel  Brainard,  professor;  Joseph 
Freer  and  William  H.  Baltzll,  of  whom  Dr.  Holmes  only  is  now 
living. 


At  subsequent  meetings  the  vacancies  in  the  Board  of  Trustees 
were  filled  by  the  appointment  of  Daniel  Goodwin,  Edwin  C. 
Lamed,  E.  W.  Blatchford,  Henry  W.  King,  Col.  Charles  G.  Ham- 
mond, Dr.  John  Evans,  Cyrus  Bentley,  Wesley  Hunger,  Thomas  B. 
Bryan,  Edward  G.  Mason,  James  L.  Stark,  H.  Z.  Culver  and  Ben- 
jamin W.  Raymond.  Prof.  Edwin  Powell  and  H.  A.  Johnson  were 
added  to  the  surgeons. 

The  general  financial  depression  of  the  country  and  the  excite- 
ment during  the  earlier  period  of  the  late  war,  rendered  it  very  diffi- 
cult to  obtain  funds  for  the  purchase  of  real  estate  and  the  erection 
of  a  suitable  building.  Consequently,  a  single  room,  at  the  north- 
east corner  of  Michigan  and  North  Clark  streets  was  opened  for  the 
treatment  of  the  poor.  During  the  first  year  nearly  one  hundred 
and  fifteen  patients  were  under  treatment.  At  the  end  of  nearly 
four  years  the  dispensary  was  removed  to  a  room,  No.  28  North 
Clark  street,  where  it  remained  until  July,  186  4-.  Walter  L.  New- 
berry,  President  of  the  association,  donated,  for  a  term  of  ten  years, 
the  lease  of  a  lot  of  land  upon  which  was  placed  a  large  two-story 
wooden  building,  purchased  for  $2,000,  and  removed  from  a  neigh- 
boring block. 

The  first  patient  requiring  board  in  the  institution  applied  be- 
fore a  single  room  had  been  cleaned  and  furnished.  For  two  nights 
he  slept  on  a  blanket  on  the  floor.  The  rooms  were  furnished  as 
the  gradually  increasing  number  of  patients  required. 

In  a  few  months  the  number  of  patients,  especially  of  soldiers 
with  diseases  of  the  eye,  supported  at  the  Infirmary  by  the  North- 
western Sanitary  Commission,  and  by  the  Governors  of  Illinois,  Wis- 
consin and  Minnesota,  rendered  greater  accommodations  absolutely 
necessary.  The  building  was  therefore  raised,  a  brick  basement 
constructed  under  it,  and  the  attic  divided  and  finished  into  three 
large  sleeping  rooms.  In  the  fall  of  1869  additional  accommodations 
became  necessary,  and  were  obtained  by  the  construction  of  a  large 
building  on  the  rear  of  the  lot.  The  funds  required  for  the  pur- 
chase of  the  building,  and  for  the  various  improvements  above  men- 
tioned, were  advanced  by  members  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  and 
Surgeons,  till  subscriptions  could  be  raised  to  repay  the  amount. 
This  sum  at  one  period  was  $6,000. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  estimate  the  good  which  was  accomplished 
in  training  students  in  the  diagnosis  and  treatment  of  diseases  of 
the  eye.  Numbers  of  such  students  have  located  in  various  portions 


of  the  State,  and  acquired  reputation  in  the  communities  where  they 
practice  for  skill  in  the  treatment  of  diseases  of  the  eye. 

In  1865  the  Legislature  granted  the  infirmary  a  special  charter, 
and  in  1867  appropriated  the  sum  of  $5,000  a  year,  for  two  years, 
for  the  support  of  such  poor  patients  in  the  State  as  desired  treat- 
ment at  the  Infirmary.  This  appropriation  was  renewed  in  1869. 
Poor  patients  from  other  States  could  receive  gratuitous  treatment 
on  paying  the  cost  of  their  board. 

By  the  new  constitution  of  1870  appropriations  in  aid  of  insti- 
tutions not  owned  and  controlled  by  the  State  were  made  illegal. 
The  Legislature,  therefore,  in  1871,  unwilling  to  relinquish  its  fos- 
tering care  of  the  Infirmary,  received  it  into  the  circle  of  State  insti- 
tutions, by  a  a  special  act.  The  Governor  was  authorized  to  re- 
ceive, in  accordance  with  a  form  of  conveyance  approved  by  him, 
all  the  property,  records  and  accounts  of  the  Chicago  Charitable 
Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary.  The  Board  of  Trustees  were  required,  in 
case  of  their  acceptance  of  the  act,  to  enter  on  their  records  a  min- 
ute to  that  effect,  transferring  all  the  property  of  the  Infirmary  to 
the  State  of  Illinois,  a  certified  copy  of  which  minute,  approved  of 
by  the  Governor  and  filed  with  the  auditor  of  public  accounts,  is  de- 
clared to  be  and  constitute  a  transfer  of  the  said  property.  There- 
upon the  name  of  the  institution  was  changed  by  the  substitution 
of  the  word  "  Illinois  "  for  "  Chicago." 

It  is  further  provided,  that  whenever  the  General  Assembly  shall 
cease  to  make  an  appropriation  of  $5,000  per  annum  for  the  sup- 
port and  use  of  the  institution,  the  property  conveyed  to  the  State 
shall  revert  to  the  Trustees  of  the  Chicago  Charitable  Eye  and  Ear 
Infirmary  or  their  successors.  The  endowment  fund  of  the  institu- 
tion, under  this  act  could  be  used  for  the  purchase  of  a  site  for  a 
building. 

On  October  9,  1871,  occurred  the  great  fire  of  Chicago,  which 
swept  away  the  old  Infirmary  on  Pearson  street.  There  were  twelve 
inmates  totally  blind  in  the  house  at  the  time.  Fortunately  no 
injury  was  sustained  by  any  of  them;  and  the  Assembly,  at  its  ad- 
journed session,  in  1872,  appropriated  funds  for  the  rent  of  a  suit- 
able building  for  two  years,  and  also  for  the  purchase  of  new 
furniture,  which  was  all  that  the  trustees  requested. 

In  the  year  1873  the  Legislature,  after  continuing  the  appropri- 
ation for  rent  for  another  year,  made  a  further  appropriation  of 
$28.000  in  aid  of  the  erection  of  a  permanent  structure  for  the  use 


6 

of  the  Infirmary,  and  an  additional  appropriation  for  furniture.  The 
Institution  then  had  a  fund  of  $33,000  of  its  own,  derived  from  the 
insurance  on  the  old  building,  and  from  gifts,  the  chief  of  which 
was  a  donation  of  $20,000  from  the  Chicago  Relief  and  Aid  Society, 
and  $5,000  from  the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission. 

An  eligible  site,  at  the  corner  of  Peoria  and  Adams  streets,  had 
been  purchased,  in  1872,  for  $18,000.  The  estimated  cost  of  the 
new  building  was  $48,500;  it  was  actually  erected  for  $2,843.59, 
and  was  completed  and  occupied  in  the  summer  of  1874.  It  is  of 
brick,  with  stone  trimmings,  four  stories  in  height,  besides  the  base- 
ment, and  is  one  hundred  and  five  feet  in  length  by  forty-seven 
in  width,  well  heated,  well  ventilated,  well  planned  and  well  built 
in  every  respect.  It  will  comfortably  accommodate  one  hundred 
patients.  A  brick  barn  was  added  in  1875. 

The  good  accomplished  by  this  Infirmary  is  incalculable.  From 
its  establishment  until  June  30,  1892,  60,032  patients  have  been 
gratuitously  treated  by  its  physicians  (who  serve  without  charge), 
in  the  house  and  in  the  Dispensary,  of  whom  47,212  were  eye  pa- 
tients and  12,820  were  ear  patients.  Objections  have  been  repeat- 
edly made  to  the  continuance  of  State  appropriations  for  its  support, 
on  the  ground  that  all  other  diseased  persons  are  equally  entitled  to 
public  relief;  but  the  answer  which  has  always  overcome  this 
objection,  is  that  the  eye  and  ear  require  surgical  treatment,  which 
general  practitioners,  especially  in  the  country,  can  not  ordinarily 
give,  and  that  the  salvation  of  the  eye  of  a  poor  person,  through 
skillful  treatment,  by  saving  him  from  blindness,  saves  him  at  the 
same  time  from  pauperism,  thus  relieving  the  community  of  a  pros- 
pective and  permanent  burden. 

When  the  State  of  Illinois  absorbed  the  Eye  and  Ear  Charitable 
Infirmary,  in  1871,  Governor  Palmer  appointed  five  trustees:  E.  W. 
Blatchford,  Daniel  Goodwin,  Henry  W.  King,  Benjamin  W.  Ray- 
mond and  Joseph  T.  Ryerson. 

The  statute  of  1875  provided  that  it  should  thereafter  have  but 
three  trustees,  no  two  of  whom  should  live  in  the  same  county. 
Whereupon  the  Governor  appointed  Daniel  Goodwin  as  the  trustee 
from  Cook  county,  Julius  C.  Williams  from  Joliet,  and  S.  P.  Sedg- 
wick  from  Wheatou. 

Mr.  Goodwin  was  elected  President  of  the  Board,  and  has  been 
reappointed  by  every  Governor  since  1871,  including  Governors 
Palmer,  Beveridge,  Cullom,  Hamilton  and  Fifer,  and  was  uuaui- 


mously  confirmed  by  every  Senate.  The  other  trustees  in  turn  have 
been:  Dr.  William  H.  Fitch,  of  Kockford,  who  was  appointed  in  1876 
and  has  served  for  seventeen  years ;  Hon.  Perry  A.  Armstrong,  who 
was  appointed  from  Grundy  county  and  served  eight  years ;  Dr.  E. 
S.  Fowler,  of  Springfield,  appointed  in  1885  by  Governor  Oglesby, 
and  served  for  six  years;  and  Dr.  Arthur  E.  Prince,  of  Springfield, 
who  was  appointed  in  1891  to  succeed  Dr.  Fowler. 

The  Superintendents  have  been:  George  W.  Davenport,  Edgar 
C.  Lawton  and  Edward  M.  Barnard.  The  acting  surgeons  and 
assistant  surgeons  have  been:  Edward  L.  Holmes,  Edwin  Powell, 

F.  C.  Hotz,   S.  J.  Jones,   Lyman  Ware,    F.   J.   Huse,   W.  T.  Mont- 
gomery, S.  O.  Eichey,  Koswell  Park,  E.  J.  Gardner,  F.  C.  Chaffer, 
Robert  Tilley,  Arnold  P.   Gilmore,   H.   M.  Starkey,   S.  S.  Bishop, 
W.  T.  Belfield,  I.  N.  Danforth,  W.  S.  Haines,  B.  Bettman,  J.  E.  Col- 
burn,  J.  E.  Harper,  J.  E.  Kenley,  I.  E.  Marshall,  G.  F.  Hawley,  E.  C. 
Abbott,  G.  F.  Fiske,  C.  F.  Sinclair,  C.  E.  Walker,  G.  W.  Webster, 
Ernest  Epler,  Charles  H.  Beard,  G.  E.  Brinckerhoff,  J.  J.  Anderson, 
Charles  E.  Davey,  C.  D.  Westcott,  W.  L.  Noble,  W.  A.  Fisher,  Mary 

G.  Hollister,  William  H.  Wilder,  George  E.  King,  G.  M.  Hammon, 
H.  A.  Eobinson,  G.  L.  Morganthau,  Charles  Davison,  C.  D.  Collins, 
Charles  A.  Enslee,  Henry  W.  Woodruff  and  H.  H.  Brown. 

The  present  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  old  Chicago  Institution 
are:  E.  W.  and  N.  H.  Blatchford,  H.  Z.  Culver,  Daniel  Goodwin, 
William  H.  Hubbard,  Henry  A.  Huntington,  Henry  W.  King,  Ezra 
B.  McCagg,  E.  G.  Mason,  James  W.  Porter  and  Arthur  Eyerson. 

To  Dr.  E.  L.  Holmes,  of  all  others,  is  the  country  indebted  for 
this  most  useful  institution,  and  next  in  order  of  service  and  sacri- 
fice are  Daniel  Goodwin  and  Ezra  B.  McCagg,  all  three  of  whom 
have  given,  not  only  an  immense  amount  of  time  and  labor,  but 
thousands  of  dollars  of  their  own  money  to  build  it  up  and  maintain 
it  for  the  good  of  human  kind. 


ILLINOIS    STATE    BUILDING— WORLD'S   COLUMBIAN    EXPOSITION. 


BRIER    HISTORY 


ILLINOIS 

SOLDIERS'  AND  SAILORS'  HOME, 


LOCATED    AT 


QUINCY,  ILL. 


1885-1893. 


Presented  by  the  ILLINOIS  BOARD  OF  WORLD'S 
FAIR  COMMISSIONERS. 


JOHN  MORRIS  COMPANY,  PRINTERS, 

118  AND  120  MONROE  STREET, 

CHICAGO. 


HISTORY 


OF  THE 


ILLINOIS  SOLDIERS'  AND  SAILORS'  HOME,  QUINCY. 


The  Home  was  established  in  law  by  act  of  the  Legislature  June 
26,  1885.  The  Location  Commissioners,  after  quite  a  protracted 
contest  between  a  number  of  cities  seeking  the  location,  decided, 
December  2,  1885,  upon  a  tract  of  land  containing  one  hundred  and 
forty  acres  adjoining  the  city  of  Quincy. 

Additional  land  to  the  extent  of  eighty-two  acres  has  been  ac- 
quired since. 

The  first  Board  of  Trustees,  appointed  by  Gov.  Oglesby  Decem- 
ber 11,  1885,  were  Daniel  Dustin,  of  Sycamore,  L.  T.  Dickason,  of 
Danville,  and  J.  G.  Rowland,  of  Quincy.  This  Board  met  and  or- 
ganized December  15,  1885,  choosing  Gen.  Dustin  for  President. 

Contracts  for  the  various  buildings,  under  the  first  appropriation 
were  let  in  May,  1886,  the  cottage,  or  detached  buildings,  plan,  hav- 
ing been  adopted,  and  the  Home  was  opened  for  reception  of  inmates 
in  March,  1887. 

From  time  to  time  further  appropriations  were  made  and  other 
buildings  were  put  up,  until  at  this  date  there  are  on  the  grounds 
forty-three  buildings,  namely: 

One  main  building,  containing  offices,  library,  etc. ;  one  hospi- 
tal ;  one  boiler-house  and  coal-house  for  hospital ;  seventeen  cottages, 
one  main  boiler-house;  one  machine  and  carpenter  shop;  one  laun- 
dry; one  soap-house;  one  warehouse;  one  kitchen,  storehouse  and 
bakery;  one  cold-storage  house;  one  Superintendent's  residence 
(on  the  place  when  bought  by  State) ;  one  house  for  dairymen;  one 
new  brick  stable ;  one  old  frame  stable ;  one  old  frame  barn ;  one 
•blacksmith  shop;  one  greenhouse;  one  icehouse;  one  frame  carpen- 
ter shop  and  storehouse;  one  railroad  station,  built  by  the  C.,  B.  & 
Q.  R.  R. ;  one  large  cow  barn  ;  one  piggery  building ;  one  springhouse 


house;  one  paint  shop;  one  gate-house — a  total  of  forty-three  build- 
ings. (Bird's  eye  view.) 

The  general  ground  plan  of  main  group  of  buildings  covers  an 
area  of  about  twenty  acres.  A  tunnel  twenty-six  hundred  feet  in 
length,  covered  with  stone  flagging,  makes  a  circuit,  the  longest 
diameter  of  which  is  eight  hundred  and  eighty-three  feet,  and  the 
broadest,  seven  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and  forms  the  basis  of  the 
construction.  On  this  tunnel  are  located  the  main  building  and 
seventeen  cottages,  the  boiler-house,  general  kitchen  and  other 
utility  buildings.  All  the  piping,  sewer,  gas,  water,  steam,  etc.,  is 
carried  in  the  tunnel,  which  is  amply  large  to  allow  men  to  walk 
through  for  purposes  of  examining  the  plant,  making  repairs,  etc. 

The  capacity  of  the  Home,  as  a  maximum,  may  be  stated  at 
1,050,  as  follows: 

8  cottages,  35  men  each 280 

6  cottages,  70  men  each 420 

2  cottages,  80  men  each 160 

1  cottage,    60  men 60 

hospital,   130  men 130 

Total 1,050 

During  this  winter  the  average  present  has  numbered  over  1.000, 
the  number  on  the  roll  being  about  1,300. 

The  main  building  is  built  of  Quincy  stone,  partly,  two  stories 
high,  the  tower  portion  being  four  stories  in  height.  It  contains 
the  offices,  library,  assembly  hall,  billiard-room  and  quarters  for 
officers. 

The  utility  building,  kitchen,  warehouse,  boiler-house,  laundry, 
machine  and  carpenter  shops,  and  some  smaller  buildings  are  of 
stone  also.  The  other  buildings  named,  except  the  farm  buildings, 
are  built  of  brick  and  all  the  structures,  while  plainly  finished,  are 
substantial  and  durable,  and  well  adapted  to  their  purposes. 

The  cottages  vary  in  size  and  hold  from  thirty-three  to  seventy 
men  each,  as  the  number  intended  to  be  accommodated.  In  the 
winter  season,  when  the  Home  is  crowded,  the  smaller  cottages 
have  thirty-five  men  each  and  the  larger  seventy  to  eighty  men. 

These  residence  buildings  have  sleeping-rooms  for  six  or  eight, 
men  each,  sitting-rooms,  dining  and  serving-rooms,  closets,  bath- 
rooms with  hot  and  cold  water  at  all  seasons.  They  are  complete 


residences  except  that  there  is  no  kitchen.  All  the  food,  except  for 
hospital,  is  prepared  at  a  large  general  kitchen,  and  taken  to  each 
cottage  in  a  closed  cart,  one  for  each  cottage,  and  there  served  each 
meal  time.  The  food  keeps  hot  in  the  coldest  weather,  as  it  is  in 
metal  boxes  and  well  protected.  Each  cottage  has  its  complement 
of  dishes  and  table  ware  kept  in  the  pantry  and  cared  for  by  cottage 
details.  A  good  feature  of  the  cottages  is  a  veranda  for  each 
sleeping- room,  contributing  to  the  comfort  of  the  men  at  all  seasons. 

The  Hospital  has  a  frontage  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  feet, 
the  central  portion  being  three  stories  high  and  connected  by  two- 
story  corridors  with  a  pavilion  on  each  side.  Number  of  beds  for 
patients  one  hundred  and  fifteen.  There  is  a  separate  building  for 
boilers  which  heat  the  Hospital. 

The  boiler-house,  sixty  by  one  hundred  feet,  contains  a  battery 
of  ten  boilers  which  furnish  steam  for  cooking  and  heat  for  all  the 
buildings  except  Hospital.  Adjoining  is  the  coal-house,  machine 
and  carpenter  shop,  laundry  and  soap-house.  A  railroad  switch  is 
convenient  wherefrom  coal  and  supplies  in  bulk  are  delivered. 
Near  by  are  the  warehouse,  kitchen,  bakery,  and  cold  storage 
houses,  all  ample  for  purposes  required. 

The  dairy  and  piggery  buildings  are  located  to  the  north  and 
comprise  a  cow-barn  and  sheds  to  accommodate  seventy-five  cows, 
and  buildings  for  grain  storage  and  for  care  of  hogs.  Water  for  all 
these  comes  from  a  well  on  high  ground,  pumped  by  windmill  and 
distributed  where  needed. 

The  farm  of  the  Home,  supplies  all  staple  vegetables  required,  in 
a  good  season,  and  there  is  pasture  land  beside.  About  fifty  cows 
are  milked  and  furnish  all  the  milk  needed  at  a  cost  of  7^  to  8  cents 
per  gallon.  A  large  spring-house  arranged  for  cooling  and  keeping 
milk  is  near  the  dairy. 

Usually  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  hogs  are  fed  from  the 
Home  slop,  which  is  taken  to  the  kettle-house  and  cooked  before 
using.  There  is  a  good  profit  on  fattening  hogs.  . 

The  handsome  little  railroad  station  built  by  C.  B.  &  Q.  R.  B.  is 
a  great  convenience.  Most  trains  of  this  road  and  the  Wabash 
stop  at  the  Home. 

The  total  number  of  men  admitted  is  2,474,  of  whom  825  have 
been  discharged,  and  331  have  died,  leaving  on  the  rolls  1,318. 
There  are  237  buried  in  the  Home  cemetery.  The  average  age  of 


6 


members  is  very  nearly  sixty  years.  The  number  present  now  is 
1,015,  the  average  through  the  year  being  about  880. 

Nationality  of  those  admitted,  1,430  native  born,  and  1,044  for- 
eign born. 

Over  nine-tenths  of  members  draw  pensions,  the  average  monthly 
allowance  being  nearly  $10. 

Appropriations  made  for  the  Home  by  the  State  Legislature  to 
date  are  as  follows: 


YEAE. 

Ordinary  Expense. 
Maintenance. 

Special  Expense. 
Buildings,  etc. 

Total. 

1885  

$200,000 

$  200,000 

1887  to  1889  

(  $  40,000 

5,000) 

406,500 

1889  to  1891  

I    224,500 
260,000 

137,000  5 
32,000 

292,000 

1891  to  1893  

290,000 

53,300 

343,300 

Total  

$814,500 

$427,300 

$1,241,800 

A  law  of  Congress  provides  that  the  National  treasury  shall  con- 
tribute to  the  support  of  State  Soldiers'  Homes,  under  certain  regu- 
lations, to  the  extent  of  $100  per  inmate  per  annum.  This  money 
does  not  go  into  the  Home's  treasury,  but  is  paid  direct  into  the 
State  treasury,  which  has  received  up  to  this  date  the  sum  of  $296,- 
998.41. 

The  cost  of  maintaining  the  Home,  including  clothing  and  trans- 
portation of  applicants  and  every  expense  outside  of  new  buildings 
and  work  for  which  there  are  special  appropriations,  averages  about 
$3  per  week  per  inmate. 

Labor  at  the  Home  is  mostly  done  by  the  members.  Exclusive 
of  officers,  foremen  of  departments  and  persons  having  expert  work 
or  hard  labor  to  do,  all  on  the  pay-roll  are  members.  Of  the  two 
hundred  and  forty  persons  on  the  roll,  there  are  usually  two  hun- 
dred and  ten  or  two  hundred  and  fifteen  inmates. 

About  eighty-two  per  cent,  of  the  pay-roll  goes  to  inmates  and 
citizen  employes. 

All  duties  pertaining  to  the  care  of  cottages,  cleaning  rooms, 
serving  the  meals,  washing  dishes,  etc., — what  may  be  called  house- 
keeping work — is  done  by  detail,  without  pay.  Such  work  as  is  for 
the  general  good,  such  as  service  on  the  farm,  in  general  kitchen, 
laundry,  bakery,  etc.,  is  paid  for. 


FIRST    BOARD    OF    TRUSTEES. 


NAME.                                    Residence. 

Term  by  Lot. 

Appointed  by 

Daniel  Dustin,  President  Sycamore 

6  years 

Gov.  Oglesby 

L.  T.  Dickason  ;     Danville 

4  years 

Gov.  Oglesby 

J.  G.  Rowland  Quincy 

2  years 

Gov.  Oglesby 

Gen.  Dustin  resigned  to  accept  a  Federal  appointment,  and  was 
succeeded  by  James  I.  Neff. 

Col.  Dickason  was  re-appointed  on  expiration  of  first  term. 

Maj.  Rowland  was  re-appointed  on  expiration  of  first  term,  and 
resigned  to  accept  the  superiutendency  of  the  Home. 

Capt.  T.  W.  Macfall  was  appointed  in  his  place. 

PRESENT    BOARD    OF    DIRECTORS. 


NAME. 

Residence. 

Term  Expires 

Appointed  by 

L.  T.  Dickason 

,  President.. 

Danville 

1895 

Gov.  Fifer 

T.  W.  Macfall. 

Quincy 

1893 

Gov.  Fifer 

James  I.  Neff. 

Freeport 

1891 

Gov.  Fifer 

SUPERINTENDENTS. 


Charles  E.  Lippincott,    appointed    December    29,    1886;    died 
September  11,  1887.     J.  G.    Eowland,    appointed    September    14, 

1887. 


ILLINOIS   STATE   BUILDING— WORLD'S   COLUMBIAN   EXPOSITION. 


BRIER     HISTORY 


I  LLINOIS 


Soldiers' 


LOCATED    AT 


NORMAL,   ILLINOIS. 


1865-1893. 


Presented  by  the  ILLINOIS  BOARD  OF  WORLD'S 
FAIR  COMMISSIONERS. 


JOHN  MORRIS  COMPANY,  PRINTERS, 
118  AND  120  MONROE  STREET, 
CHICAGO. 


HISTORY 

OF    THE 

ILLINOIS    SOLDIERS'    OEPHANS'    HOME. 


In  February,  1864,  a  meeting  was  held  in  Bloomington,  the  ob- 
ject of  which  was  to  make  provisions  for  caring  for  the  dependent 
orphans  of  those  who  had  given  their  lives  in  defense  of  the  Union. 
At  that  meeting,  Gen.  John  McNulta  presented  a  resolution  call- 
ing upon  the  State  to  make  suitable  provision  for  the  needy  widows 
and  orphans  of  the  gallant  soldiers  from  Illinois  who  had  fallen  in 
defense  of  the  flag. 

Judge  David  Davis,  Hon.  Jesse  W.  Fell  and  other  prominent 
citizens  were  enthusiastic  in  their  endorsement  of  the  measure,  and 
the  matter  was  carried  before  the  General  Assembly  in  1865.  Ac- 
tion was  there  taken,  establishing  the  Illinois  Soldiers'  Orphans' 
Home.  Nine  trustees  were  constituted  a  corporation  to  receive 
subscriptions  and  donations,  and  to  organize  and  carry  on  the  insti- 
tution. 

The  object  of  the  corporation  was  declared  to  be  "To  provide  a 
home  for  the  nurture  and  education,  without  charge,  of  all  indigent 
children  of  soldiers  who  served  in  the  armies  of  the  Union  during 
the  late  Rebellion,  and  have  been  disabled  from  disease  or  wounds 
therein,  or  have  died  or  been  killed  in  said  service;"  but  in  this  act 
no  appropriation  was  made  from  the  State  treasury  for  the  support 
of  the  Home. 

The  Governor  was  authorized  to  appoint  five  commissioners,  not 
connected  with  the  corporation,  to  receive  bids  and  decide  upon  a 
location,  but  any  location  was  forbidden  until  the  sum  of  $50,000 
was  subscribed  and  paid  to  the  corporation.  As  that  sum  was  not 
realized,  the  Governor  did  not  appoint  the  commissioners  to  select 
a  site. 

In  1867,  however,  a  bill  was  passed  appropriating  $70,000,  to- 
gether with  what  was  known  as  the  deserters'  fund,  amounting  to 
$30,400,  for  the  erection  of  buildings  for  the  Home.  The  Locating 
Committee  was  then  appointed  by  Governor  Oglesby,  consisting  of 
Dr.  Johns,  of  Decatur;  Dr.  Niles,  of  Belleville;  Col.  Raymond,  of 
Geneva,  Major  Beardsley,  of  Rock  Island;  and  Mr.  Marshall. 


Normal,  Decatur,  Springfield  and  Rock  Island  were  among  the 
competing  places  for  location.  After  carefully  considering  all  the 
propositions  before  them,  the  committee  decided  to  accept  the  one 
from  Normal,  which  was  as  follows: 

Site,  sixty-five  acres,  valued  at $12,000  00 

Other  lands,  valued  at 21,775  00 

Cash  and  notes 4,525  00 

City  lots,  valued  at 920  00 

Ornamental  trees,  valued  at 1,000  00 


Total $40,220  00 

Pending  the  erection  of  necessary  buildings,  a  temporary  home 
was  opened  in  Bloornington  in  August,  1867.  This  was  soon  filled; 
and  a  second  home,  also  in  Bloomington  was  opened  in  October,  the 
same  year.  These  two  homes  proving  to  be  insufficient  to  meet  the 
demands,  in  February,  1868,  a  third  home  was  opened  in  Springfield. 

The  permanent  Home  was  so  far  completed  that  on  June  1, 
1869,  the  orphans  in  the  temporary  homes  were  transferred  to  their 
new  quarters.  During  that  year,  additional  special  appropriations 
were  made  as  follows: 

For  completing  the  building $25,000  00 

For  heating  and  ventilation 6,500  00 

For  outside  improvements 3,000  00 

For  furnishing 10,000  00 

Total $44,500  00 

Mrs.  Virginia  C.  Ohr,  who  had  been  in  charge  of  the  Springfield 
Home,  was  elected  Superintendent,  a  position  for  which  she  was  pe- 
culiarly endowed,  and  which  she  filled  until  the  spring  of  1887,  a 
period  of  eighteen  years. 

As  first  organized,  the  Home  was  only  for  children  whose  fa- 
thers had  been  killed  or  died,  or  had  been  totally  disabled  while  in 
actual  service;  but  in  April,  1875,  "An  Act  to  regulate  the  State 
charitable  institutions  and  the  Reform  School,  and  to  improve  their 
organization  and  increase  their  efficiency"  was  passed,  containing 
the  following:  "The  object  of  the  Soldiers'  Orphans'  Home  shall 
be  to  provide  a  home  for  the  nurture  and  physical,  intellectual  and 
moral  culture  of  all  indigent  children  below  the  age  of  fourteen 
years  whose  fathers  served  in  the  armies  of  the  Union  during  the 
late  Rebellion,  and  have  died,  or  been  disabled  by  reason  of  wounds 
or  disease  received  therein,  or  have  since  died:  Provided  that  in 
special  cases  of  peculiar  inability  of  a  pupil  to  support  himself  or 
herself,  the  trustees  may  retain  such  pupil,  although  above  the  age 
of  fourteen  years,  and  until  such  pupil  has  reached  the  age  of  six- 
teen, beyond  which  no  pupil  shall  be  retained." 


Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  law  now  provides  for  the  children 
of  indigent  and  disabled  soldiers,  born  any  time  since  the  war.  And 
it  makes  no  provision  that  these  must  be  the  children  of  first  mar- 
riages, of  marriages  prior  to  the  war.  The  prime  conditions  are 
that  the  father  shall  have  served  in  the  army  of  the  Union  during 
the  late  Rebellion,  and  that  he  shall  be  either  dead  or  disabled  and 
in  indigent  circumstances. 

This  liberal  provision,  made  by  the  law,  accounts  for  the  fact 
that  now,  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  after  the  last  battle  was 
fought,  over  four  hundred  children  of  soldiers  are  cared  for 
by  the  State. 

The  main  building,  erected  in  1869,  is  an  imposing  structure, 
seventy  by  one  hundred  and  forty  feet,  four  stories  high, 
built  of  brick  and  trimmed  with  stone,  with  a  basement  mainly 
above  ground.  At  the  time  it  was  built,  it  was  considered 
ample  for  the  accommodation  of  all  worthy  applicants.  For  years 
it  was  the  only  building  used,  and  served  for  all  purposes,  in- 
cluding kitchen,  laundry,  dining-rooms,  school -rooms  and  dormi- 
tories. It  was  heated  with  hot  air  furnaces  and  stoves.  But 
the  increase  in  numbers  rendered  additional  room  necessary, 
and  in  1871  appropriations  were  made  for  school  building, 
$15,000;  for  steam  heating,  $12,000;  for  kitchen,  laundry  and 
boiler-house,  $6,000.  The  steam  plant  was  duly  installed,  the  new 
buildings  erected,  and  the  children,  as  well  as  those  in  charge, 
greatly  enjoyed  the  additional  room  thus  provided. 

But  the  applications  for  admission  continued  to  increase;  a 
greater  number  of  children  was  admitted  than  was  discharged,  and 
as  a  result  the  Home  was  again  crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity 
while  many  worthy  applicants  remained  without. 

In  1881,  appropriations  of  $5,000  for  a  hospital  and  $4,300  for 
a  new  boiler-house  and  bakery  were  made.  These  were  erected  and 
afforded  some  relief,  as  the  old  boiler-house  was  made  to  serve,  in 
part,  some  other  uses.  The  appropriations  proving  insufficient,  in 
1883  an  additional  appropriation  of  $2,500  was  made  to  complete 
the  work. 

In  the  spring  of  1887  Mrs.  Virginia  C.  Ohr,  who  had  been 
Superintendent  of  the  Home  from  its  beginning,  retired  from  the 
position,  and  H.  C.  De  Motte,  then  president  of  Chaddock  College, 
at  Quincy,  111.,  was  appointed  as  her  successor.  To  the  new 
Superintendent  was  assigned  also  the  principalship  of  the  school,  a 
position  which  had  been  filled  by  a  regularly  appointed  teacher  up  to 
that  time.  Mrs.  Sarah  J.  De  Motte,  at  that  time  professor  of  Eng- 


6 

lish  literature  and  history  in  Chaddock  College,  was  appointed  to 
the  position  of  Matron  of  the  Home,  and  assumed  the  additional 
duties  of  librarian  and  organist. 

The  Home  was  crowded  with  children  beyond  the  bounds  of 
comfort  and  safety  to  the  health  of  its  inmates,  and  a  large  number 
of  worthy  applications  were  on  file  in  the  office,  awaiting  the  action 
of  approval  by  the  trustees.  The  demand  for  additional  room  on 
some  consistent  plan,  looking  to  permanent  improvements,  was  im- 
perative. Under  the  direction  of  Superintendent  De  Motte,  plans 
were  prepared  and  estimates  made  for  a  new  chapel  building,  in- 
cluding dining-rooms,  play-room  and  wash-rooms  for  boys,  and 
sleeping-rooms  for  employes,  also  a  kitchen,  serving-room,  bakery, 
storeroom,  laundry  and  boiler-house,  and  additional  room  for  the 
school.  Estimates  were  also  made  for  the  necessary  changes  in 
the  old  buildings  to  adapt  them  to  the  new  plan,  and  for  an  entire 
new  steam-heating  plant  with  low  pressure,  the  old  heating  system 
being  condemned  by  competent  authority  as  inadequate  and  un- 
safe. 

These  plans  and  estimates  were  presented  to  the  General  Assem- 
bly in  1889,  and  an  appropriation  for  $66,618  for  buildings  and 
$4,000  for  additional  land  was  secured.  The  work  on  the  buildings 
was  begun  in  July,  1889,  and  they  were  ready  for  use  the  following 
January.  These  improvements,  together  with  the  additional  land, 
have  added  greatly  to  the  comfort,  convenience,  happiness  and 
health  of  the  children.  The  Home  now  has  ample  accommodations 
for  at  least  four  hundred  children,  and  without  seriously  crowding, 
four  hundred  and  fifty  can  be  provided  for  with  comfort.  The 
changes  wrought  during  the  last  six  years  in  the  home  have  trans- 
formed it  into  a  very  different  place,  and  home  life  now  is  much 
more  enjoyable  than  it  could  possibly  be  made  with  the  lack  of 
room  and  other  conveniences  in  former  years. 

The  buildings  now  consist  of  the  main  building,  seventy  by 
one  hundred  and  forty  feet,  four  stories;  the  chapel  building, 
fifty-two  by  one  hundred  and  ten  feet,  three  stories  and  con- 
nected with  the  main  building  by  a  double  corridor,  eighteen  by 
forty  feet;  the  kitchen  building,  including  the  bakery  and  store 
room,  thirty-three  by  sixty  feet,  with  serving-room  adjoining, 
twenty  by  1)hirty  feet;  laundry  building,  thirty-two  by  forty  feet; 
boiler-house,  forty  by  sixty  feet;  two  coal-rooms,  one  forty  by  sixty 
feet,  including  the  dynamo-room,  the  other  twenty  by  forty-eight 
feet;  hospital,  thirty  by  forty  feet;  main  school  building  of  six 
rooms,  each  twenty-five  by  thirty  feet;  and  primary  building 


thirty  by  forty  feet.  In  addition  to  these  there  are  two  play- 
houses, one  for  girls  and  one  for  boys;  a  greenhouse  and  a  root 
cellar,  built  in  1891  at  an  expense  of  $2,250,  besides  barns  and 
tool-house  for  the  farm. 

The  electric-light  plant  was  installed  in  October,  1891,  by  the 
Thompson-Houston  Electric  Company,  at  a  cost  of  $4,000.  It  is  a 
four  hundred-candle-power  plant  consisting  of  two  two-hundred- 
sixteen-candle-power  dynamos,  and  has  given  general  satisfaction^ 
It  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  best  plants  in  the  State.  The  green- 
house is  a  model  of  convenience  and  utility,  and  affords  ample  roomy 
for  all  the  plants  and  bulbs  needed  for  the  ornamental  grounds  of 
the  Home,  and  at  the  same  time,  it  furnishes  all  the  propagations- 
for  the  vegetable  and  fruit  gardens. 

In  the  first  organization  of  the  Home,  the  Board  of  Trustees  was 
composed  of  nine  members,  but  in  1869  the  number  was  reduced  to- 
three.  The  first  board  of  three  was  composed  of  the  following 
members:  Maj.  James  M.  Bearclsley,  of  Rock  Island;  Col.  E.  R.  Roer 
of  Bloomington;  and  Col.  John  M.  Snyder,  of  Springfield.  From 
the  biennial  reports  on  file  in  the  office  of  the  Home,  the  following 
list  of  trustees  is  taken:  1871-72,  Maj.  James  M.  Beardsley  of 
Rock  Island ;  Hon.  D.  D.  Evans,  of  Danville ;  Dr.  John  Sweeney,  of 
Normal.  1873-74,  Maj.  James  M.  Beardsley,  of  Rock  Island;  Dr. 
John  Sweeney,  of  Normal ;  Capt.  George  W.  Holloway,  of  George- 
town. 1875-76,  Maj.  James  M.  Beardsley,  of  Rock  Island;  Capt. 
George  W.  Holloway,  of  Georgetown ;  Gen.  John  McNulta,  of  Bloom- 
ington. 1877-78,  Gen.  John  I.  Rinaker,  of  Carlinville;  Gen.  John 
C.  Black,  of  Danville;  Hon.  Duncan  M.  Funk,  of  Bloomington. 
1879-80,  Gen.  John  I.  Riniker,  of  Carlinville;  Gen.  John  C.  Black, 
of  Danville;  Gen.  Ira  J.  Bloomfield,  of  Bloomington.  1881-84, 
Gen.  John  I.  Riniker,  of  Carlinville;  Gen.  John  C.  Black,  of  Dan- 
ville; Hon.  Duncan  M.  Funk,  of  Bloomington. 

1886-92,  Hon.  Duncan  M.  Funk,  of  Bloomington;  Col.  James 
E.  Morrow,  of  Pontiac ;  Capt.  Edwin  Harlan,  of  Marshall. 

The  act  of  the  General  Assembly  in  force  after  the  1st  of  July, 
1875,  provides  as  follows:  "  The  management  of  each  of  the  State 
charitable  institutions  and  the  State  Reform  School  shall  be  vested 
in  a  board  of  three  trustees,  to  be  appointed  by  the  Governor,  by 
and  with  the  consent  of  the  Senate,  and  to  be  divided  into  three 
classes,  and  one  class  appointed  every  two  years,  to  serve  for  six 
years  from  the  1st  of  March  in  each  year  bearing  an  odd  number 
as  follows:  Upon  the  taking  effect  of  this  act,  three  trustees  shall 
be  appointed  for  each  charitable  institution  and  for  the  Reform 


8 

School,  of  whom  one-third  shall  serve  until  the  1st  of  March,  1877; 
one-third  shall  serve  until  the  1st  of  March,  1879;  and  one-third 
shall  serve  until  the  1st  of  March,  1881,  as  may  be  determined  by 
lot,  and  their  successors  shall  serve  for  six  years  each  and  until 
in  every  case  a  Trustee  shall  hold  his  office  until  his  successor  is 
appointed  and  qualified." 

The  provisions  of  this  act  are  intended  to  prevent  any  unneces- 
sarily sudden  or  radical  change  in  these  Boards,  thus  securing  to 
the  institutions  a  constant  majority  of  those  who  have  had  at  least 
two  years'  experience  in  their  management. 

Complete  records  of  the  transactions  in  the  temporary  homes 
opened  in  1867  and  1868  are  not  on  file  in  the  Home  office,  hence 
the  total  number  of  children  enrolled  in  the  Home  from  the  begin- 
ing  of  its  temporary  organization  to  the  present  time  can  not  be  ac- 
curately given.  Since  1868,  however,  the  records  are  complete, 
covering  a  period  of  twenty-three  years.  During  that  time  2,604 
children  have  found  a  home  in  the  institution.  This  gives  as  the 
average  number  of  admissions  per  annum,  about  one  hundred  and 
fourteen,  and  the  average  term  of  institution  life  for  each  child, 
about  four  years. 

Some  who  are  admitted  do  not  remain  until  they  attain  the 
legal  age  for  dismissal.  Numerous  cases  occur  in  which  children 
are  admitted  and  cared  for  until  the  parent,  by  pension  or  other 
good  fortune,  is  in  condition  to  provide  for  them  himself.  In  this 
way,  many  children  remain  only  a  portion  of  their  legally  allotted 
term. 

The  attendance  has  steadily  increased  since  the  Home  was  first 
thrown  open  for  children.  This  increase  has  been  limited  mainly 
by  the  room  provided  for  those  who  sought  admission.  For  many 
years  the  number  of  applications  exceeded  the  capacity  of  the  Home, 
and  the  increase  of  numbers  was  accomplished  by  overcrowding 
on  account  of  the  urgent  pleas  in  favor  of  the  applicants. 

At  the  present  date,  judging  from  the  applications  that  come  to 
the  office,  the  maximum  attendance  has  been  reached.  The  present 
numbers  may  be  maintained  for  some  time  yet,  and  then  the  en- 
rollment from  the  very  nature  of  the  case  will  rapidly  diminish. 

The  average  attendance  in  1875  was  two  hundred  and  seven- 
ty-one; in  1880,  three  hundred  and  eight;  in  1885,  three  hundred 
and  twenty-eight,  and  in  1892,  three  hundred  and  ninety-seven. 
The  average  attendance  for  the  intermediate  year  shows  a  gradual 
increase  in  the  numbers  enrolled.  The  largest  number  present  at 
any  one  time  is  recorded  February  22,  1892,  a  peculiar  coinci- 


9 

deuce  tbat  it  should  occur  on  the  anniversary  of  the  birthday  of 
George  Washington. 

The  form  of  admission  to  the  Home  prescribed  by  the  trustees, 
gives  ample  protection  against  fraud  or  imposition.  It  requires 
the  date  of  the  birth  of  the  child;  its  residence  at  the  time  the 
application  is  made;  the  date,  company,  and  regiment  of  the  enlist- 
ment of  the  father;  the  condition  of  the  father,  whether  dead,  or 
disabled,  and  the  character  of  his  disability ;  the  condition  of  the 
mother,  whether  dead  or  living,  and  if  widowed,  whether  or  not 
remarried ;  and  the  indigent  condition  of  the  children.  It  further 
requires  a  sworn  statement  as  to  the  above  facts  before  some  per- 
son legally  authorized  to  administer  the  oath,  and  a  certificate  as  to 
the  reliability  of  the  party  making  the  affidavit. 

A  permanent  alphabetical  record  is  kept  of  all  children  admitted, 
in  which  the  above  statistics  are  entered.  A  daily  population  rec- 
ord is  also  kept,  showing  the  actual  number  present  every  day  in 
the  year.  A  third  record  by  counties  is  kept,  which  gives  at  a 
glance  the  number  admitted  from  each  county,  the  number  and  date 
of  all  discharged,  and  the  number  actually  present  from  each 
county  each  day  in  the  year.  At  this  writing,  there  are  four  hun- 
dred and  fifteen  children  present,  of  whom  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
seven  are  girls,  and  two  hundred  and  thirty-eight  are  boys.  These 
children  come  from  eighty  different  counties  in  the  State.  Cook 
county  has  the  largest  representation  at  this  date,  being  credited 
with  twenty-eight  children  in  actual  attendance. 

In  this  Home,  everything  necessary  for  the  comfort  and  well- 
being  of  the  children  is  furnished  at  the  expense  of  the  State.  The 
supplies  include  food,  clothing,  schooling,  medical  attendance,  and 
the  many  minor  items  that  are  needed  to  make  up  the  sum  total  of 
the  needs  in  child  life.  Even  the  paper  and  postage  necessary  for 
their  correspondence  with  their  friends,  are  furnished  by  the  State. 
Each  child  has  the  privilege  of  writing  to  friends,  once  each  month. 
Two  hundred  and  forty-nine  postage  stamps  and  nine  postal  cards 
were  issued  for  use  the  last  writing  day  in  February,  1893.  Where 
there  are  more  than  one  child  from  the  same  family,  their  letters 
are  inclosed  in  the  same  envelope  when  writing  home,  thus  econo- 
mizing postage  and  making  a  less  number  of  letters  than  of  chil- 
dren who  write. 

The  food  furnished  is  of  the  best  quality,  and  consists  of  bread 
baked  at  the  Home,  and  made  from  spring  and  winter  wheat  flour 
mixed  in  equal  proportions,  butter,  meat  of  various  kinds,  all  kinds 
of  vegetables  and  fruits  in  their  season,  and  canned  fruits  and  dried 


10 

fruits  in  all  seasons,  milk,  with  which  the  children  are  served  twice 
each  day,  cakes,  pies  and  puddings,  thus  giving  sufficient  variety 
from  day  to  day  to  please  the  taste  and  secure  the  most  favorable 
conditions  for  health. 

The  clothing  is  made  of  the  best  material  of  its  kind.  The  boys 
wear  genuine  indigo  blue  jeans  pants  and  jackets  with  military 
staff  buttons.  In  the  summer  they  are  supplied  with  cheviot  shirts, 
shoes  and  stockings,  and  hats,  and  in  the  winter,  with  flannel 
shirts,  boots  and  stockings,  caps  and  mittens.  The  girls  wear  in  the 
summer,  gingham  dresses,  cotton  skirts  and  underwear,  and  on 
week  days,  full-length  blue  check  aprons  with  sleeves,  and  on  Sun- 
day white  dresses.  In  winter  they  are  supplied  with  plaid  flannel 
dresses,  cotton  underwear,  blue  flannel  skirts,  and  full-length  blue 
check  aprons.  On  Sundays  the  blue  aprons  are  replaced  with  full- 
length  white  aprons.  They  are  provided  with  hats  in  the  summer, 
hoods  and  mittens  in  the  winter,  and  with  neat  shoes  and  stockings 
all  the  year  round. 

The  clothing  is  made  in  the  Home,  one  room  is  set  apart  for 
the  manufacture  of  boys'  suits  and  shirts.  One  cutter  and  two 
seamstresses  are  employed  in  making  pants  and  jackets,  and  one  in 
making  shirts.  Another  room  is  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of 
girls'  clothing.  One  cutter  and  three  seamstresses  are  employed  in 
this  department. 

Two  suits  a  year  are  found  sufficient  for  each  child.  To  secure  this 
economy  in  clothing,  however,  requires  care  and  judicious  repairing. 
One  seamstress  for  the  boys  and  one  for  the  girls,  and  one  shoe- 
maker for  both  girls  and  boys  succeed  in  keeping  the  children 
presentable  at  all  seasons  of  the  year. 

Regular  details  are  made  of  the  older  children  to  aid  in  the  work 
of  the  Home.  The  girls  make  beds,  sweep,  iron,  wash  dishes,  as- 
sist in  the  kitchen,  and  mending  rooms,  and  the  boys  serve  as 
waiters,  assist  in  the  kitchen  and  bakery,  in  scrubbing  and  sweeping, 
at  the  barn,  and  upon  the  ornamental  grounds  and  drives,  and  on 
the  farm.  A  new  detail  is  made  about  every  eight  weeks,  and  the 
children  are  shifted  from  place  to  place,  thus  giving  them  the  ad- 
vantage of  a  change  in  work,  and  affording  them  more  varied 
experience  in. the  common  affairs  of  life. 

The  increased  number  of  children  in  the  Home,  the  enlargement 
of  the  buildings,  the  additional  acres  added  to  the  farm,  and  the 
electric-light  plant,  have  led  to  some  increase  in  the  working  force. 
At  present,  fifty  names  are  on  the  pay  roll,  classified  as  follows: 
One  Superintendent  who  serves  also  as  principal  of  the  school,  one 


11 

matron  who  serves  also  as  librarian  and  organist,  one  clerk,  one 
physician,  one  treasurer,  seven  teachers,  nine  seamstresses,  two 
cooks,  two  in  charge  of  mending-rooms,  one  children's  dining-room 
manager,  one  hospital  nurse,  two  engineers,  one  fireman,  one  pump- 
man, one  watchman,  one  baker,  one  launderer,  two  laundresses, 
two  managers  of  girls'  hall  and  bath-rooms,  two  managers  of  boys' 
hall  and  bath-rooms,  five  house  servants,  one  teamster,  one  gardener, 
two  farmers,  and  one  shoemaker. 

These  fifty  persons  receive,  as  compensation  for  their  services 
monthly.  $1,652.66.  Of  this  sum,  $771.66  are  paid  to  the  twelve 
officers  and  teachers,  being  an  average  of  $64.30  per  month,  and 
$881  are  paid  to  the  thirty-eight  employes,  being  an  average  of 
$23.18  per  month.  Some  positions  require  skilled  labor,  and  others 
demand  extra  hours  of  service,  some  persons  being  on  duty  from 
twelve  to  fourteen  hours  per  day.  These  command  higher  wages 
than  the  average  price.  The  highest  wages  paid  any  employe  is 
$75  per  month,  the  lowest  wages  paid  is  $16  per  month. 

The  current  expenses  of  the  Home  have  varied  from  time  to 
time,  owing  to  the  variation  in  the  number  of  children  in  attend- 
ance, and  the  fluctuations  in  the  market  prices  of  material  and 
supplies.  At  the  present  time  it  requires  about  $1,000  per  week 
to  meet  all  demands.  This  includes  salaries  and  wages  as  well  as 
supplies.  The  total  cost  per  capita,  for  the  biennial  period  ending 
June  30,  1892,  was  $133.16,  a  showing  which  reflects  credit  on 
the  careful  and  economical  management  of  those  in  charge. 

The  regular  habits  acquired  by  the  children  in  the  Home  have 
much  to  do  with  their  health.  They  rise  at  5:30  A.  M.,  have  break- 
fast at  6:30  A.  M.,  dinner  at  12:30  P.  M.,  supper  at  6:00  P.  M.,  and 
the  younger  ones  retire  at  7 :00  P.  M.,  the  older  ones  before  nine  P.  M. 
These  hours  are  strictly  observed  throughout  the  year. 

Careful  attention  is  paid  to  the  sanitary  condition  of  the  Home, 
and  with  what  success  the  low  death  rate  during  its  entire  history 
will  attest.  Only  fifty  deaths  have  occurred  among  the  children  in 
the  Home  since  its  organization,  a  period  of  twenty-five  years.  This 
gives  a  death  rate  of  less  than  two  per  cent,  per  annum ;  and  only 
seven  deaths  have  occurred  during  the  present  administration,  a 
period  of  nearly  six  years.  During  the  same  time  there  has  been 
an  average  attendance  of  three  hundred  and  sixty-five.  This 
makes  the  death  rate  for  that  period  less  than  one  per  cent,  per 
annum. 

Thus,  the  investment  which  the  State  has  made  in  these  more 
recent  years,  in  enlarging  the  Home  and  affording  better  sanitary 


12 

conditions  for  the  children,  is  yielding  ample  returns  in  the  decided 
decline  of  the  death  rate  among  the  inmates;  and  also  iu  the  more 
robust  and  healthy  condition  of  all  who  share  these  advantages. 
Those  eruptive,  cutaneous  affections,  and  the  painful  condition  of 
inflamed  eyes  which,  for  years,  were  alike  distressing  to  the  suf- 
ferers, and  those  whose  duty  it  was  to  care  for  them,  have  well  nigh 
disappeared.  Under  the  improved  hygienic  conditions,  only  oc- 
casionally do  they  now  appear,  and  these  isolated  cases  yield  readily 
to  treatment. 

The  advantages  of  a  separate  hospital  building  and  an  experi- 
enced nurse,  who  is  at  all  times  ready  to  care  for  any  cases  needing 
her  attention,  can  not  be  overestimated.  Incipient  forms  of  dis- 
ease are  readily  met  and  overcome  before  serious  derangement 
occurs,  by  beginning  treatment  when  the  earliest  symptoms  appear. 
In  this  way,  many  cases  are  relieved  with  only  an  hour  or  a  day  in 
the  hospital,  which,  if  permitted  to  develop  before  proper  remedies 
are  administered,  might  result  in  protracted  illness,  and  possibly 
terminate  fatally.  To  the  cleanly  habits  required  of  the  children, 
the  pure,  wholesome  food,  the  careful  supervision  exercised  over 
them  day  and  night,  and  the  regularity  of  diet,  exercise  and  sleep, 
is  to  be  attributed,  under  Divine  guidance,  much  of  the  success 
attending  the  sanitary  interests  of  the  Home. 

The  farm  consists  of  ninety-five  acres.  About  thirty  acres  are 
occupied  by  buildings  and  as  play  and  ornamental  grounds.  The 
remainder  is  carefully  cultivated,  the  products  of  which  are  con- 
sumed in  the  Home.  Most  of  the  small  fruits  and  vegetables  used 
in  the  Home  are  thus  supplied.  In  their  cultivation,  the  boys  as- 
sist in  regular  details  mornings,  evenings  and  Saturdays,  during 
the  school  period;  and  they  render  more  constant  service  between 
the  close  of  school  iu  June  and  its  opening  in  September. 

The  farm  is  thus  made  to  serve  a  double  purpose.  It  affords  an 
excellent  opportunity  to  the  boys  to  acquire  some  practical  knowl- 
ege  of  the  tillage  of  the  soil,  and  the  growth  of  its  various  products, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  it  yields  ample  returns  for  all  the  labor 
bestowed,  by  the  bounteous  harvests  of  good  fresh' fruits  and  vege- 
tables in  their  season. 

Special  attention  is  paid  to  the  physical  development  of  the 
children.  They  are  given  generous  outdoor  exercise  whenever  the 
weather  will  permit.  Their  play-grounds,  two  in  number,  one  for 
the  girls  and  one  for  the  boys,  are  commodious  and  well  shaded. 
Sleds  and  skates  in  their  season,  foot  balls  and  base  balls,  swings 
and  other  helps  are  furnished  by  the  Home.  These,  with  such 


13 

other  varieties  of  games  as  have  been  handed  down  from  generation 
to  generation,  or  as  the  ingenuity  of  childhood  will  invent  when 
occasion  requires,  afford  ample  amusement  and  profitable  exercise 
for  outdoor  sports.  Indoors,  the  less  boisterous  playthings  of  the 
age  are  furnished  for  cold  or  rainy  weather.  Here,  tops,  rubber 
balls,  history,  geography  and  biography  cards,  sliced  animals,  and 
birds,  dissected  maps,  puzzles,  checkers  and  dominoep,  toy  dishes 
and  dolls  afford  a  great  variety  of  amusement.  Drills  in  all  the 
foot  movements  of  the  soldier  are  given  by  a  competent  drill  master, 
and  thus  the  children  are  able  to  present  an  attractive  appearance 
at  all  times,  by  the  neatness  and  precision  of  their  movements. 
Special  drills,  with  dumb  bells,  wands,  hoops,  flags,  tambourines 
and  fans,  are  organized  from  time  to  time,  and  exhibitions  of  skill  in 
these  movements  accompanied  with  fancy  marches,  add  greatly  to 
the  attractiveness  of  the  various  entertainments  given  by  the  chil- 
dren. All  these  things  tend  toward  a  more  perfect  development  of 
the  physical  powers,  and  the  easy  command  of  these  powers  under 
any  circumstances,  and,  at  the  same  time,  lend  interest  and  variety 
to  the  routine  life  in  the  Home. 

Special  entertainments  are  frequently  given,  sometimes  for  the 
children  and  sometimes  by  the  children.  Lectures  suited  to  their 
years,  popular  readings  and  musical  recitals  are  greatly  enjoyed 
by  them.  Magic  lantern  scenes,  with  accompanying  descriptions, 
form  one  of  the  most  popular  and  enjoyable  hours  for  the  children. 

Occasionally  programs  are  prepared  either  by  the  Superintend- 
ent and  Matron,  or  by  the  teachers,  in  which  the  children  are  the 
performers.  These  occasions  afford  much  pleasure  both  to  those 
who  perform  and  to  those  who  are  auditors.  The  cantatas  rendered 
by  the  children  at  Christmas  times  have  been  of  a  high  order  of 
merit  and  of  pleasing  variety,  and  their  rendition  has  given  the 
children  an  enviable  reputation  for  superiority  in  faultless  execu- 
tion. Friends  fill  the  chapel  to  overflowing  on  these  festive  occa- 
sions. 

One  of  the  principal  advantages  afforded  the  children  in  the 
Home  is  the  well-graded  school  into  which  they  are  organized, 
holding  regular  sessions  for  forty  weeks  each  year.  A  course  of 
study  is  prescribed,  consisting  of  eight  grades,  corresponding  to  the 
grades  in  our  best  public  schools,  but  modified  somewhat  to  adapt 
it  to  the  peculiar  wants  of  institution  life.  Seven  teachers  are 
employed  and  the  work  is  arranged  so  that  pupils  are  advanced, 
upon  standing,  one-half  grade  every  twenty  weeks.  The  teachers 
make  reports  of  the  deportment  and  scholarship  of  each  pupil  every 


14 

five  weeks,  to  the  Superintendent,  and  a  permanent  record  is  kept  of 
the  work  performed  in  the  school.  The  character  of  the  work 
accomplished  here  will  not  suffer  in  comparison  with  that  done  in 
the  best  graded  schools  of  the  State. 

In  addition  to  the  discipline  of  the  school-room,  a  library  and 
reading-room  is  provided,  in  which  the  children  take  great  delight. 

About  twenty-five  hundred  volumes  of  the  freshest  and  best 
juvenile  literature  are  here  accessible.  In  addition  to  these,  the 
current  periodicals  for  young  people  are  also  supplied.  In  this 
library  and  reading-room,  all  those  children  whose  school  attain- 
ments fit  them  to  profit  thereby,  are  gathered  four  or  five  times  each 
week  for  an  hour  or  two,  and  spend  the  time  in  reading  such  books 
and  periodicals  as  they  from  choice  may  select.  Many  become 
greatly  attached  to  the  library  and  often  speak  of  it  in  their  letters, 
after  leaving  the  Home,  as  one  of  the  great  attractions  while  they 
were  here. 

The  reading-room  is  under  the  direct  supervision  of  the  Super- 
intendent or  Matron,  and  by  kindly  counsel  and  prudent  direction, 
correct  habits  of  reading  are  acquired  by  the  children.  Thus  this 
agency  becomes  a  valuable  aid  to  the  child  in  building  true  char- 
acter, and  securing  the  right  kind  of  preparation  to  succeed  in  the 
work  of  riper  years. 

In  the  Home  training,  the  social  and  moral  nature  of  the  child 
is  not  overlooked.  All  through  the  course  of  study  prescribed  for 
the  school,  the  usages  of  polite  society  and  the  principles  of  upright 
honest  living  are  presented  in  many  ways.  Beginning  in  the  pri- 
mary grade,  in  oral  form,  cleanliness,  neatness,  quietness,  obedience, 
promptness,  and  truthfulness  are  inculcated.  'These  are  enlarged 
upon  and  enforced  in  the  next  grade,  and  kindness,  order,  industry, 
politeness,  honesty  and  purity  of  language  are  specifically  presented. 
All  through  the  school  life  of  the  child,  these  cardinal  virtues  are 
kept  before  him,  his  attention  is  directed  to  correct  personal  habits, 
right  motives,  respect  for  the  rights  of  others,  general  behavior  at 
home,  at  school,  in  church,  in  society,  and  the  care  and  rights  of 
property — the  "  mine  and  not  mine,"  of  practical  life.  Not  only  in 
school,  but  in  all  departments  of  the  Home  life  of  the  child,  effort 
is  constantly  directed  toward  the  correct  formation  of  proper  habits 
of  life,  based  upon  sound  social  and  moral  principles. 

While  no  sectarian  teaching  is  permitted,  and  no  denominational 
bias  is  given,  the  religious  nature  of  the  child  is  not  ignored. 
Sunday-school  is  held  each  Sabbath  morning  at  9  o'clock,  and  with 
the  efficient  aid  of  volunteer  workers  from  the  young  people  in 


15 

Normal,  this  department  has  been  well  sustained.  The  Sunday- 
school  hour  is  one  of  the  most  enjoyable  in  the  child's  Home  life. 
A  service  of  somewhat  more  general  character  is  held  each  Sab- 
bath afternoon,  at  which  time  the  children  join  in  the  song  service, 
in  reciting  selections  from  the  Scriptures,  and  in  listening  to  short 
practical  talks  from  the  Superintendent,  or  some  one  whom  he  may 
have  invited  to  address  them.  On  each  alternate  week-day  evening 
they  also  assemble  in  the  chapel  for  a  service  of  song,  and  such 
other  exercises  as  the  Superintendent  may  arrange.  These  gather- 
ings are  occasions  of  interest  to  the  children,  and  it  is  regarded  as 
a  hardship  to  be  deprived  of  the  privilege  of  attendance.  Thus, 
it  will  be  seen  that  life  in  the  Illinois  Soldiers'  Orphans'  Home  is 
far  from  being  one  of  dull  routine,  void  of  anything  to  awaken  into 
active  energy  the  dormant  powers  of  the  child.  Rather  is  it  a  life 
crowded  full  of  the  most  helpful  agencies  for  calling  into  active 
use  all  the  powers  of  both  body  and  mind,  and  in  directing  these 
toward  the  accomplishment  of  the  very  best  results. 

It  is  gratifying  indeed  to  know  that  such  agencies  have  not  been 
used  in  vain.  The  success  which  has  attended  those  who  have  had 
this  Home  training  gives  unmistakable  proof  of  its  efficiency.  Few 
indeed  are  the  instances  in  which  our  boys  and  girls,  in  after  life, 
have  failed  to  strive  after  the  high  ideals  of  manhood  and  woman- 
hood which  have  been  placed  before  them  while  in  the  Home. 
And  no  one  can  estimate  the  value,  to  the  State  and  to  humanity,  of 
the  investment  which  the  State  of  Illinois  has  made  in  establishing 
this  Home  for  the  children  of  those  who  answered  the  call  of  their 
country  in  its  hour  of  peril.  Illinois  has  well  redeemed  the  pledge 
made  to  her  citizen  soldiers  who  rallied  to  the  rescue  in  the  hour 
of  danger  to  our  Republic.  H.  C.  DE  MOTTE, 

March  1,  1893.  Superintendent. 


ILLINOIS   STATE   BUILDING— WORLD'S   COLUMBIAN    EXPOSITION. 


BRIEF     HISTORY 


Asylum  for  Feeble  funded  Children, 


LOCATED    AT 


LINCOLN,   ILL. 


1865-1893. 


Presented  by  the  ILLINOIS  BOARD  OF  WORLD'S 
FAIR  COMMISSIONERS. 


JOHN  MORRIS  COMPANY.  PRINTERS, 

118  AND  120  MONROE  STREET, 

CHICAGO. 


OF  THE 

ASYLUM  FOR  FEEBLE  MINDED  CHILDREN. 


This  institution  was  created  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature  in 
1865.  The  first  action  in  relation  to  the  establishment  of  the  insti- 
tution was  taken  by  the  State  Medical  Society  at  their  annual  meet- 
ing held  in  Bloomington,  June  5,  1855.  A  committee  of  three  of 
its  members,  consisting  of  Drs.  David  Prince,  E.  R.  Roe  and  J.  V. 
Z.  Blaney,  was  appointed  to  memorialize  the  Legislature  "with 
regard  to  the  establishment  of  an  institution  for  idiots."  The  com- 
mittee was  continued  for  four  years,  and  presented  a  written 
memorial  to  each  of  the  two  succeeding  assemblies.  The  first 
memorial  was  printed. 

In  1856  Dr.  Andrew  McFarlaud,  Superintendent  of  the  State 
Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Jacksonville,  suggested  an  inquiry  by 
the  Legislature  into  the  number  and  need  of  this  unfortunate  class. 
Dr.  P.  G.  Gillett,  Superintendent  of  the  Institution  for  Deaf  and 
Dumb,  at  Jacksonville,  111.,  in  1860,  called  attention  to  the  same 
subject,  as  many  persons  whose  friends  made  application  to  him  for 
admission  properly  belonged  to  an  institution  for  feeble-minded. 

The  act  creating  the  institution  placed  it  in  charge  of  the 
trustees  of  the  Institution  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  at  Jacksonville, 
and  they  appointed  Dr.  P.  G.  Gillett  Superintendent  ex  officio. 
The  grounds  and  buildings  of  the  Governor  Duncan  estate  in  Jack- 
sonville were  rented,  and  the  school  opened  with  three  children, 
May  25,  1865.  To  Dr.  Gillett  is  due  great  credit' for  his  warm 
personal  interest  and  labors  in  behalf  of  tlie  institution  during  its 
early  existence. 


In  September,  1865,  Dr.  Charles  T.  Wilbur  was  elected  Superin- 
tendent of  the  institution.  Dr.  Wilbur  had  previously  been  con- 
nected with  a  similar  institution  in  New  York,  Connecticut  and 
Ohio.  Under  his  superintendency  the  institution  progressed 
favorably  and  it  became  necessary  to  secure  more  room,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  increasing  number  of  applicants. 

In  1875  the  Legislature  made  an  appropriation  of  $185,000, 
and  appointed  a  Board  of  Commissioners  to  select  a  site  for  the  per- 
manent location  of  the  institution. 

The  commissioners,  after  examining  several  different  locations, 
decided  in  favor  of  Lincoln,  and  purchased  forty  acres  of  land, 
known  as  Wyatt  Grove.  Plans  for  the  buildings,  submitted  by 
Messrs.  Furness  Laing  &  Fehmers,  architects,  of  Chicago,  were 
adopted  with  the  approval  of  the  Governor,  and  the  trustees  adver- 
tised for  sealed  proposals  for  the  construction  of  the  building. 
Among  a  number  of  proposals,  that  of  T.  E.  Courtney,  of  Chicago, 
was  accepted.  Work  was  commenced  November  5,  1875,  and  the 
buildings  were  completed  in  June,  1877. 

The  main  building  is  of  brick,  and  consists  of  a  center  three 
stories  in  height,  connecting  wings  two  stories,  extreme  wings 
parallel  with  center,  three  stories.  The  general  style  is  modern 
gothic,  with  slate  roof,  dormer  windows  and  towers.  The  rear 
buildings  and  engine  house,  built  at  the  same  time,  are  of  brick  and 
are  of  the  same  general  style.  The  main  building  faces  to  the  east, 
fronting  on  State  street.  Its  extreme  length,  front,  three  hundred 
and  twenty-four  feet;  depth,  two  hundred  and  fifteen  feet;  depth  of 
wings,  one  hundred  and  sixty -five  feet.  The  tower  of  the  center 
building  has  an  elevation  of  one  hundred  feet,  and  those  on  the 
wings,  eighty-five  feet.  The  buildings  are  heated  by  steam  through- 
out, both  direct  and  indirect  radiators  being  used. 

Additional  buildings  have  been  erected  from  time  to  time,  among 
the  most  important  being  a  custodial  building,  a  laundry  building 
and  a  cottage  hospital. 

The  custodial  building  is  of  brick,  two  stories  in  height,  with 
accommodations  for  about  one  huudred  and  twenty  inmates.  It 


cost  340,000,  the  sum  mentioned  covering  building,  heating  and 
furnishing. 

In  September,  1883,  Dr.  C.  T.  Wilbur  tendered  his  resignation 
and  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  William  B.  Fish,  who  at  the  time  of  his 
appointment  was  assistant  superintendent  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Institution  for  Feeble  Minded  at  Elwyn. 

The  object  of  the  institution,  as  defined  in  the  act  of  Legislature 
in  1875,  regulated  the  State  charitable  institutions,  is  to  promote 
the  intellectual,  moral  and  physical  culture  of  the  inmates,  and  to  fit 
them,  as  far  as  possible,  to  earn  their  own  livelihood,  and  for  future 
usefulness  in  society. 

In  the  development  of  the  institution  it  has  been  found  expe- 
dient to  enlarge  the  scope  of  the  work.  All  institutions  of  this 
character  have-been  started  as  schools.  In  time,  however,  depart- 
ments for  custodial  care  and  industrial  training  have  been  added. 
At  the  present  time  the  management  at  Lincoln  recognize  four 
special  departments  of  the  institution — the  school  department, 
department  of  industrial  training,  custodial  care,  and  farm  colony. 
In  the  school  department  the  inmates  are  classified  and  placed 
under  special  training  by  the  teachers  employed.  A  portion  of  the 
i  nmates  in  schools  receive  industrial  training  for  half  a  day.  In 
the  department  for  industrial  training  inmates  are  employed  in  the 
shoe  shop,  laundry,  wood-carving  room,  tailor  and  mattress  shops 
and  sewing-room. 

In  the  custodial  department  the  helpless  cases  are  received  and 
cared  for.  The  paralytics  and  extremely  helpless  are  cared  for  in 
special  infirmary  wards  on  the  ground  floor.  The  broad  veranda, 
twelve  feet  wide  and  six  hundred  feet  in  length,  connected  with  this 
building,  affords  them  opportunities  for  fresh  air  and  exercise  in 
inclement  weather. 

The  farm  colony  is  established  about  two  miles  from  the  main 
institution.  It  is  in  charge  of  a  farmer  and  his  wife.  The  inmates 
allotted  to  this  department  board  and  lodge  at  the  farm.  The  State 
owns  four  hundred  and  twenty-three  acres  of  rich  farm  land,  and  in 
addition  leases  four  hundred  acres  at  a  rental  of  $3.87  per  acre. 


6 


The  entire  tract  of  eight  hundred  and  twenty-three  acres  is  culti- 
vated by  the  farm  boys  with  the  assistance  of  the  farmer  and  two 
hired  men.  A  herd  of  eighty-six  Holstein  cattle  supply  all  the 
milk  used  by  the  institution.  In  addition  to  his  other  duties,  the 
farmer  purchases  and  slaughters  at  the  farm  all  the  beef  cattle 
required  by  the  institution.  Suitable  buildings  are  provided  at  the 
farm  for  the  care  of  the  inmates  and  stock. 

A  five  years'  experiment  on  a  rented  farm  inaugurated  before 
the  purchase  of  farm  lauds  by  the  State  showed  a  net  profit  of 
$1,800.00  per  annum  over  all  expenses. 

The  institution  at  Lincoln  is  entirely  under  State  control. 

The  history  of  this  institution  would  be  incomplete  were  we  not 
to  show  the  cost  to  the  state,  of  maintaining  the  charity.  Following 
will  be  found  a  table,  covering  a  period  of  eighteen  years,  which 
shows  that  the  economies  of  the  question  have  been  thoroughly 
studied,  and  that  the  state  has  received  the  benefit  of  the  business 
ability,  which  has  been  displayed  by  the  management  of  the  insti- 
tution : 


YEAR. 

Gross 
ordinary 
expenses. 

Income 
not  from 
state. 

Cost 
to  state. 

Average 
number. 

PER  CAPITA  COST. 

Gross. 

Net. 

1875  

$20,901  76 
28,812  87 
31,639  52 
53,062  88 
47,381  69 
59,502  70 
56,710  94 
63,284  23 
62,782  06 
55,372  82 
61,306  37 
65,600  72 
66,961  51 
51,292  42 
68,607  07 
72,809  83 
77,232  99 
89,534  55 

$2,423  01 
2,630  56 
2,140  14 
3,686  80 
2,816  66 
5,132  65 
6,383  79 
7,885  66 
6,271  96 
4,817  29 
3,766  55 
4,115  33 
4,456  87 
5,046  59 
7,517  95 
6,325  08 
9,188  18 
8,802  24 

$18,478  75 
26,182  31 
29,499  38 
49,376  08 
44,565  03 
54,370  05 
50,327  15 
55,398  57 
55,510  10 
49,555  53 
57,539  82 
61,485  39 
62,504  64 
46,245  83 
61,059  12 
66,484  75 
68,044  81 
80,732  31 

81 
80 
77 
168 
224 
274 
286 
279 
293 
292 
312 
341 
362 
387 
382 
410 
414 
4b5 

$309  65   $279  74 
360  16    327  28 
410  90    383  11 
315  35  1    293  91 
210  97    198  95 
217  57    198  42 
198  21  1    175  97 
226  69  1    198  56 
210  74    188  70 
186  411    169  71 
196  38    184  42 
102  33    180  31 
185  08    172  76 
176  95    159  53 
179  75    159  97 
177  49  j    162  07 
186  65    164  45 
184  61    166  46 

1876  

1877  

1878  

1879  

1880  

1881  

1«82  

1883  

1884  

1885  

1886  

1887  

1888  

1889  

1890  

1891  

1892  

Total  

$1,030,796  93 

$93,437  31 

$937,359  62 

286 

$200  27 

$182  12 

The  cost  of  all  the  buildings  and  grounds,  including  the  furni- 
ture, $298,000.00.  This  also  includes  about  five  hundred  acres  of 
land,  which  embraces  the  farm  department  of  the  institution. 


The  progress  made  in  the  treatment  of  this  class  of  defectives,  in 
the  Illinois  Institution,  has  kept  pace  with  the  progress  made  in  the 
other  branches  of  medical  science.  The  classification  of  the  various 
forms  of  idiocy,  is  now  made,  and  the  inmates  are  trained  and 
treated  according  to  modern  methods,  with  results  that  exceed  expec- 
tations. Nearly  all  are  made  to  conform  to  social  and  moral  laws, 
and  may  become  quite  proficient  in  some  branch  of  learning  or 
industry.  Perhaps  the  most  incorrigible  cases  that  are  dealt  with, 
are  those  known  as  moral  imbeciles.  They  are  disobedient,  impu- 
dent, stubborn  and  devilish,  and  resist  any  sort  of  moral  training. 
They  are  the  least  satisfactory  cases  that  are  in  the  Asylum.  But 
it  is  not  known  what  to  do  with  such  cases,  other  than  is  being  done. 
If  you  turn  the  boys  out  into  the  world  they  will  go  to  the  peniten- 
tiary. If  you  turn  the  girls  out  they  are  ruined  forever.  The  best 
that  can  be  done  with  them  is  to  let  them  remain  where  they  are; 
in  any  event,  they  are  out  of  mischief  whilst  in  custody. 

In  April,  1893,  Dr.  William  B.  Fish,  Superintendent,  resigned, 
and  Dr.  Ambrose  Miller  was  appointed  to  succeed  him. 


ILLINOIS    STATE   BUILDING— WORLD'S   COLUMBIAN   EXPOSITION. 


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